Introduction
Torn muscle fibers can occur in principle in any muscle, but by far the most common injury is to the muscles of the thigh or calf. The muscles of the calf are exposed to particularly high loads. It is responsible for the fact that we can roll our foot over the toes and forefoot when walking.
Consequently, the calf muscles are practically constantly in action. It is subjected to increased strain when we perform a sudden acceleration movement, such as when jumping off or running away, but also during negative acceleration, i.e. when braking quickly. A rupture of muscle fibers in the calf area can either be caused by such a process or by a direct violent impact on the calf muscles, as is often the case when kicking the lower leg during sports activities such as soccer.
Sometimes it happens that a person affected can even feel the tearing of the fibers. This is characterized by sudden pain in the calf. More rarely, however, it also happens that pain only develops within the next few hours after the injury.
In a few cases, the pain cannot be localized exactly because it radiates into the entire lower leg. A short time after the accident has occurred, a dent in the calf can often be seen and sometimes even felt during palpation. However, when a little more time has passed, this dent is usually lost again and a swelling develops, which can be very massive.
In addition, a bruise usually occurs, but the degree of this bruise is very variable. This should be treated as soon as possible after the rupture of the muscle fiber to facilitate rapid healing and reduce the risk of complications. Here, as after almost all sports injuries, the PECH rule should be followed: P for rest, E for ice, C for compression and H for elevation.
If this early therapy of the torn muscle fiber is carried out, the torn muscle fiber usually heals by itself within a few days without any consequences. () If pain and/or swelling persist for several days, a doctor should be consulted in any case. Following a torn muscle fiber, the leg should not be completely immobilized.
The rule of thumb is that any movement that does not hurt is not harmful to the muscles. Rapid mobilization promotes healing, but extreme stress should be avoided for about three to six weeks. A surgical intervention is only necessary in the rarest of cases, namely when more than a third of the muscle fibers are torn or there is massive bleeding.
In order to avoid the occurrence of a torn calf muscle fiber, it is important to warm up the muscles well before sports activities. As one is susceptible to injuries of this kind, especially at the beginning of the sport, one should, as far as possible, not start directly with the most difficult exercises, but build up the training slowly. An important differential diagnosis of a torn muscle fiber in the calf is thrombosis, which also occurs frequently in this area and, just like the torn muscle fiber, is accompanied by severe pain and swelling of the lower leg.
