Going home after your visit
Calf strain — advice for adults
How to care for a pulled calf muscle, and the warning signs to watch for.
You have a calf strain — a pull or partial tear of a muscle at the back of your lower leg. Most heal well over a few weeks with simple care. Please read this and keep it handy.
Your care details
To be completed by the team before you leave.
this Emergency Department your nearest A&E other:
none needed
Come back to A&E — or call 999 if you are breathless — if any of these happen
These can be signs of a more serious injury or a blood clot, and need checking urgently.
- A sudden severe pain or a "snap" in your calf
- Marked weakness, or you cannot push off your foot
- Calf swelling, warmth and redness that does not fit the injury
- Calf pain with breathlessness or chest pain — call 999
- Your foot becomes numb, pale or cold
CALL 999 a sudden snap with weakness can mean a torn muscle or Achilles tendon.
For the first 2–3 days
- Rest and protect the leg, but keep gently moving it.
- Put ice wrapped in a cloth on it for 15–20 minutes, a few times a day.
- Use a compression bandage for support.
- Raise the leg when you are resting.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain if you can take them.
- Avoid heat, alcohol and massage, and do not run, for the first 3 days.
Getting better
- Start putting weight on it and walking as the pain allows.
- Begin gentle calf stretches and strengthening as it settles.
- Build back to sport gradually over a few weeks.
- See a physiotherapist if it is slow to improve.
Where to get help
999
Life-threatening emergency, or a red-flag symptom above
111
Urgent but not life-threatening, or you're not sure — call or visit 111.nhs.uk, 24/7
Your team
Use the department phone in Your care details above