Beginner Running Tips: How to Avoid Calf Pain While Running

Calf pain while running is one of the most common injuries that beginners suffer from.  Running is a physically demanding exercise and injuries are inevitable.  Experienced runners are already aware of the dos and don'ts in avoiding physical traumas, but most beginners don't have the slightest clue.    It is important that you seek advice from more experienced runners and take heed of the basic techniques in running.  It would be best if you set up a schedule with a more experienced runner on the first few days of training.  This would give you enough clues to continue on your own, and adjust to your running style at your own pace.

Whether you like it or not, you might probably experience minor injuries in your first few weeks.  It is important to identify what kind of pain or injury you’re suffering from in order to determine the appropriate treatment.  In this instance, a calf pain would be characterized by a dull, aching pain; and in more severe cases, you will experience a sharp, intense pain at the back of your lower leg.

An injury, such as calf pain while running, affects your running program since you would not be able to continue your training for a certain period of time, depending on the intensity of the injury. If it is a simple inflammation of the muscle, you can expect to recover and resume your regular running program in a matter of 7 to 10 days of rest. If you suffered from a complete rupture of the calf muscle or even just a partial tear, you will not be able to enjoy your favorite sport in about 4 to 12 weeks. Therefore, it is best that you will be able to identify its causes and how to prevent it so that you will not be taken away from your sport for too long.

There are actually a lot of possible causes of calf pain while running.  It could be caused by ineffective warm up or cooling down routines and it could also be due to a sudden increase in mileage or excessive hill work. It can also be caused by too little intake of water since a lot of runners are too engrossed with what they are doing and tend to forget to drink adequate amounts of fluids. Deficiencies of calcium and some other kinds of minerals, such as magnesium, can also lead to calf strain. Therefore, it would be wise to properly hydrate yourself at all times and to drink multi vitamins.

If you do encounter such an injury, you need to use a commercially available ice pack as an initial treatment.  As an alternative, you can also find a clean towel, soak it in water and store it in the refrigerator until it gets colder.  Once it reaches the right temperature, place it on top of your calf to reduce the pain. You can also take anti-inflammatory medicines, such as Ibuprofen, to take care of the swelling and reduce pain.

Calf pain while running should not be taken lightly.  If there are no remarkable signs of improvement after a complete rest of five days, then it would be wise to see a physician to have your injury further examined.  Take note of the causes of these injuries to prevent them from happening.  Remember, prevention is better than cure.