Exercise and calf pain

15 years ago

I am trying to be good and be more active. MD is encouraging me to walk as much as I can and didn't notice any circulation problems when I saw her about hip pain- so I am not concerned with anything major medical. I am just obese and my muscles/ligaments/tendons are too tight!

After only five minutes on the manual treadmill, my calves are in PAIN. It stops within a few minutes of sitting down but will start up immediate when I get back on the treadmill.

There are stairs from the parking lot to the building at school that I would LOVE to be able to take each day but half way up, I can barely breathe much less keep walking. The stairs equate to about 4 flights. I can do two flights inside without much trouble (as long as my backpack isn't too heavy!). But those parking lot stairs are killers, even physically fit people report having trouble with them.

What type of stretches do you do for your legs? Anyone had success with support hose when they exercise?

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Comments (9)

stephmc72
15 years ago
A personal trainer I used once told me that a good exercise for stretching calves is this:

Stand on a step with your toes on the step and your heal hanging off the step. It's easier if you hold a wall or something. Slowly pull up so you're on your tippy toes and count to 10. Then go down and rest for a second, then let yourself go down so your heal is falling below the step (but don't step off, keep your toes on the step). Both directions, you'll feel the calf stretching.
susanjf_gw
15 years ago
one of the old stand-bys are the telephone book stretches..heels on the floor, toes on a telephone book. you don't want to hurt your achilles, so gentle is better. you're braver than me! for some reason i'm scared of our treadmill...
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janie_ga
Original Author
15 years ago
Susan, if your's is manual- you have reason the be scared! Mine has a non-electric mind of its own. Regulating the speed is HARD!!!! I think I get a much harder workout on the manual than on an electric even if I can only go half the speed.

Eric refuses to use it. His boss gave him an electric one to use at the apartment in Elkins so he gets his exercise there.

Elmo votes on another electric one. He cannot figure out the manual one either, LOL. Poor deprived cat!
jannie
15 years ago
I stretch my calves by standing, feet apart, facing a wall, about three feet away. Lean forward, place your palms on the wall and do a few standing "vertical pushups."
sheilajoyce_gw
15 years ago
Are you getting enough potassium and calcium? That could be part of your problem.
bigack
15 years ago
Hi Janie, you're far from being obese, my dear, remembering from the one time that we met. You may just be a little chubby like the rest of us! Hope you get the soreness worked out, try advil, and stretching like the others here posted.
alisande
15 years ago
Could it be intermittent claudication?
glenda_al
15 years ago
Good luck!
I do water aerobics daily, and we do lots of good stretches at the end of class to eliminate that problem.
janie_ga
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the ideas! I didn't even think about the potassium. Will add that to my vitamins. I tried the stretches on the stairs earlier. Poor Elmo couldn't understand why i stopped at the bottom step, he was hoping I was headed to bed. I will try them again tomorrow right before I exercise and see if it helps any.

Susan, thanks but technically I have a BMI of about 31 which is considered obese. I also have elevated cholesterol, not serious but over 200 and a family history of heart disease. Admitting to being obese in writing is an attempt to face the fact that I have to actually DO SOMETHING about my situation before I end up on medications and develop something more serious than tight pants! LOL (That said, we need to plan a trip to cracker Barrel sometime soon.)

Exercise and calf pain

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Exercise and calf pain

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