Calf pull

I have pulled my calf muscle. Very depressing, particularly since when it was getting slowly better I went out and ran again and pulled it again. And again. Now it's completely buggered and I have finally realised I need to lay off and treat it with respect.

Last pull happened on Tuesday. I've done some RICEing since then. I may seek out a physio to do their massage away the scar tissue thing.

My main question is what cross-training can I do? I'm really very fit for me and I don't want to fall back too far.

I'm not a great swimmer so that's not my top option. I would find it difficult to get to a pool 4 times a week. Can I use a stationary bike with a calf problem? A rower? Any advice?!

Thanks all!

Hi. Yeh cycling would be good as most of the strain goes on the lower thighs. Depending on the severity of the strain it could take 2-3 weeks to fully recover from it. If you feel its getting better do some walking, next time do some fast walking and if no after effects next time do some gentle jogging for say half a mile to a mile. If still no after effects you've recovered but take it easy to build up the milage again.

Hi when i was getting physio for my calf injury that had loads of scar tissue my physio kept me running but only on the flat and short runs .

Oh and i did pool running thats good but other people think your daft as they swim past.

I pulled my calf a little while ago, and my physio advised :

4 days of COMPLETE rest - ice for 10 minutes a day.
After that two weeks of cycling/swimming/walking and lots of gentle stretches on the calf (whilst sitting down, lift your toes up to stretch the calf, then do the opposite so you're on your toes. I just did this all day whilst at work)
Then very small, flat gentle jogs for a couple of weeks, ensuring good stretch after.

But I really would recommmend seeing a physio straight away - you heal a lot quicker, and you'll get the right diagnosis. It may be a completely different calf strain to mine.