Pulling in the calf

introduction

The pain in the calf can have various causes and its characteristics are variable. Pulling in the calf in particular is often described as one of many complaints in the leg region. The triggers for pulling in the calf are very diverse.

Pulling in the calf at rest - what can it be?

Pulling in the calf at rest can be caused by cramps, which can occur, for example, after strenuous physical exertion, such as a long hike, or if there is a magnesium deficiency. Furthermore, a pulling in the calf can occur in the case of a thrombosis, i.e. a blood clot in a vein in a leg. If the thrombosis is the trigger for pulling in the calf, further symptoms such as swelling of the calf, blue-livid discoloration (cyanosis) and overheating of the calf as well as a feeling of heaviness in the affected leg should be observed.
If a thrombosis is suspected because symptoms suggest it and a cause causing the thrombosis, such as a prolonged immobilization of the leg, should be consulted so that the thrombosis can be treated as soon as possible.

Read more on this topic at:

• thrombosis
• Thrombosis prophylaxis
• Thrombosis in Pregnancy

causes

The causes of a pulling calf are very variable. The development of the pull can be of a harmless nature, but it can also have a more serious cause. The classic sore muscles in the calves, for example, count as a harmless reason. After intensive leg training or general sporting activities, small micro-lesions in the calf muscles can manifest as sore muscles in the form of pulling pains. Typically, however, this type of pull should subside after a few days.

The footwear can also have an impact on the calf muscles. Both poor footwear and the regular wearing of high shoes can lead to the shortening of the muscles. This in turn is accompanied by a pulling in the calf. A general bad posture or incorrect foot posture can also provoke shortening or muscular tension.

Often the reason for pulling is also that certain movements are simply performed incorrectly in certain sports and the calf muscles are then inappropriately stimulated or stressed. Calf cramps are also harmless, as an acute pulling pain in the calf. In most cases, this is caused by overstraining through hard training with a simultaneous magnesium deficiency. But also the opposite, namely too little movement, e.g. sitting for long periods at work, can trigger a calf cramp. The pulling pain in the calf at night is typical.

If the pulling in the calf is based on muscular tension, the pain character is mostly boring to pulling and stabbing.

Acute piercing and pulling pain during exercise can also indicate a strain in the calf muscles. This is a classic sports injury with a characteristic stabbing and pulling pain in the corresponding affected muscle group.

In addition to the previously harmless causes, there can also be more serious triggers behind the pulling in the calf. These include, for example, diseases such as circulatory disorders PAOD (= peripheral arterial occlusive disease) or thrombosis. Depending on the nature of the pain and the time it has taken, a doctor should be able to roughly interpret the pulling in the calf and assess what and how serious the cause is.

You might also be interested in: Pain like sore muscles - what can it be?

cramps

Cramps can also trigger pulling in the calf. Cramps often occur after heavy exercise. In addition, a magnesium deficiency can lead to muscle cramps. Magnesium ensures that the muscle cannot be excited too easily. If there is a lack of magnesium, the muscle is overexcitable and cramps occur more easily. A magnesium deficiency can be counteracted by taking magnesium tablets. In addition, a balanced diet, which includes foods that contain magnesium, such as nuts, vegetables, fruits and seeds, prevents magnesium deficiency.

Read more on this topic at:

• Calf cramps
• Cramps in the legs
• magnesium

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Symptoms

The main symptom is pulling in the calf itself. Pulling is perceived by those affected as very uncomfortable and annoying. As soon as such a pulling becomes noticeable and those affected register it, this speaks for a corresponding intensity, so that the pulling should be clarified. Often the pulling does not occur in isolation, but is accompanied by other complaints in the calf region. This can include the charisma and abnormal sensations in the form of numbness or tingling. Depending on the intensity, pulling is even described as a pain with a stabbing and pulling character.

The localization of the pulling in the calf can be very variable. The sometimes painful pulling can be on the back of the calf, down to the hollow of the knee or more on the side, i.e. on the inside or outside.

Certain factors can intensify or even alleviate the pulling. A pull in the calf does not necessarily have to occur on both sides. On the contrary, pulling in the calf is more often limited to one side of the leg.

Pulling in the calf when running

Running - meant in the sense of normal walking as well as jogging - is considered to be a factor that aggravates the pain depending on the cause. Calf dragging can be made worse just by running. Especially if the cause of the pulling pain is muscular in nature, as the muscles are stimulated even more by the movement. Muscle soreness is an exception: light movement can accelerate or promote healing. Sometimes pulling in the calf is so bad that running is no longer possible and running is not the cause of pulling, but a component that suffers from pulling or is no longer possible. Especially when running, pulling in the calf can result in a poor posture in the foot, which causes tension in the foot muscles under load. This in turn can cause the pulling pain to radiate into the calf. This means that the reason for a pulling in the calf does not have to be located there.

Drawing in the hollow of the knee

The hollow of the knee is one of the calf nearby region on the back of the leg. She is for the subject of Pulling in the calf therefore of importance since the Radiate pulling down to the hollow of the knee can.

An Indian Pain in the back of the knee is perceived by those affected as very uncomfortable. To compensate for the pulling, sufferers often take one Relieving posture in the knee or strain it differently or incorrectly. This can in turn Knee discomfort result, whereby one actually only suffered from a pulling in the calf with a charisma in the hollow of the knee. The hollow of the knee is therefore a typical place where the large calf muscles have their starting point in this area. Thus, the back of the knee is involved in one Pulling in the calf due to muscular problems obvious.

Pulling from sciatica irritation

Pulling in the calf can also be related to nerve irritation. Typically the sciatic nerve (Sciatic nerve) plays a relevant role here. If there is a herniated disc in the lumbar spine, this can lead to nerve root compression of the sciatica. Those affected then complain of severe back pain. However, the pain can drag along the course of the nerves down the back over the buttocks along the leg and into the calf. A herniated disc on the back with an injury to the sciatica can cause pulling in the calf.
One then speaks of a so-called "sciatic pain". With this cause, in addition to pulling the calf, numbness and tingling sensations can occur as signs of nerve irritation in the leg. Movement usually increases the pull in the calf. Older people who exercise little and sit a lot are particularly at risk. These are all factors that put strain on the intervertebral discs or promote their loss of elasticity and thus make a herniated disc more likely.

Read more on this topic at:

• disc prolapse
• Back pain

Pulling in the back of the calf

Often is a Pulling in the calf especially on the rear area limited. This is because the large calf muscles, of the M. gastrocnemius and Soleus muscle, which are also called M. triceps surae can be summarized, lie.

As already described, these muscles can be due to Muscle soreness, muscle cramps, strains, tension or shortening a Pulling in the calf cause. Depending on which muscles are affected, the pulling can be felt to be more superficial or deeper.

But sometimes there is also one Incorrect posture or deformity of the spine Cause for a Pulling on the back of the calf. A hollow back, for example, requires that the rear muscular parts of the lower leg increasingly burdened become. This can result in a Incorrect strain and tension in the calf muscles so that the pulling pain occurs at the back. Also the Foot posture in a sitting position can Tension and shortening of the calf muscles cause what then goes hand in hand with the pulling behind.

Pulling in the side of the calf

It will Pulling in the calf of those affected rather lateral place As a rule, this does not indicate a particular cause, which is why immediate treatment is indicated. As already mentioned, the Localization of pulling often associated with structures located there. Lateral muscular problems therefore rather lead to drawing pains on the side of the calf.

Pulling on the outside of the calf

Same as with lateral pulling in the calf applies to a Pulling in the calf on the outside. Run again on the outside other muscles than on the inside of the calf, so that appropriate muscular problems cause pulling. In principle, pulling on the Outside of the calf but also result from an existing thrombosis of a blood vessel at this point.

thrombosis

Thrombosis as a trigger for pulling pain in the calf is to be seen as a serious cause, as there is a risk of pulmonary embolism due to the detachment of a thrombus.

You can choose between the so-called Phlebothrombosis (deep vein thrombosis, too TVT) and thrombophlebitis (superficial thrombosis). The thrombosis is associated with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) one of the most important diseases from the group of vascular diseases. In the presence of a thrombosis, venous blood vessels are blocked due to the formation of a blood clot (thrombus). The symptoms of thrombosis vary slightly depending on the location of the blocked vessel. In general, however, in the case of pronounced thrombosis, in addition to pulling in the calf, a feeling of tension and warmth in the calf is characteristic. The pain from a thrombosis does not have to be limited to the calf, but can also radiate into the hollow of the knee or the thigh. Due to the risk of developing a pulmonary embolism, the presence of a thrombosis should always be ruled out if the calf pulls continuously with the accompanying symptoms mentioned.

Read more on this topic at:

• thrombosis
• Pulmonary embolism
• peripheral arterial disease

Tension in the calf during pregnancy

Pregnancy is an enormous burden on the female hormonal balance. The hormonal changes make women more susceptible to certain diseases. Pregnancy-associated leg vein thrombosis plays an important role in this. The risk of this is particularly increased in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. Therefore, especially during pregnancy, you should be particularly careful if you experience sudden symptoms in the calf, such as a feeling of tension and warmth accompanied by pulling.

Another aspect of pregnancy is the increased water retention in different parts of the body. If the fluid accumulates in the intervertebral discs, their stability is reduced and the risk of a herniated disc during pregnancy increases. A herniated disc in the lumbar spine would then bring about a pulling in the calf as well as the back pain as the pain emanated.

Pregnancy increases the likelihood that calf pulling is less of a harmless cause.

Read more on this topic at:

• Herniated disc during pregnancy
• Edema pregnancy