Personal Health (Aching Calf Muscles)

[cessna]

I am wondering if any of you that are lifting lengths of wood, on to a firewood processor for a few hours a day, (on daily basis) suffer with "Aching calf Muscles",making walking a real effort?

I ask the question as my calf muscles are now making it a real effort to walk as opposed to an effortless walk. Just wondering if the lifting is the cause of the problem. I have been to the doctor to start the ball rolling to look into the cause of my problem,but just thought I would make some enquiries on this forum.

[geoff]

If your body is used to the work, I can't see why it should be giving you grief, maybe your boots are not helping?

[kindlett]

hi when lifting any heavy object off the floor dip your bum bend your knee's use your quads first. when lifting with straight legs your lower back and hamstrings get worked and your calfs get streched ,are you standing on level ground ?if your heels are higher than your toes your contracting your calfs ,try doing some streching movements for them .goodluck

[skc101fc]

When you're over 50 the knees go bad and you really don't want to be attempting to bend and lift heavy loads with them ,- makes the back ache worse instead. Yeah aching calves goes with the lifestyle , catches us all in the end.

Shaun

[Stubby]

All of the above . Change of technique maybe ?

[Woodlover]

The leg symptoms you have could be from a number of causes but if its a new thing from doing something that you have always done then it could be a spinal disc related problem,worth investigating...Happened to me at 36 but at 50 most people will show disc probs anyhow if they had an MRI scan according to my research, your spine does age like us and if well used then wear and tear producing slight problems is fairly common.But if you slip a disc in your neck or lower back it can effect your walking.

I had a disc in my neck slipped for 18month before i was diagnosed/treated, this gave me and still does do now extreme fatigue,get so tierd so easy and legs get heavy.The nerves that control your legs run up your whole spine to the brain, usually its lower back that effect walking but if signals to the brain are effected any where it can cause probs.

Might sound bad but if caught early then phisio can correct it.

Do you have any other symptoms like numbness or probs with balance?

[Pinkfoot]

I took me eight or more years of going to the doctor and being sent to different specialists to eventually find self diagnose piriformis syndrome .

I told the doctor of my thoughts and from then on things improved .

I have acute piriformis syndrome .

You don't have this ,but what I have learnt is that a good sports therapist , or physiotherapist , can find a lot of problems with a few sessions.

My advice is to see one and get a full check over and they may be able to pinpoint the problem.

Other than that , they will certainly find little niggles and help fix them.

Good luck.

[Stubby]

Could it be down to bad circulation ? That Ian Botham advert made me think of it .

[stihlmadasever]

Pushing your toes down or raising your heels of the ground will engage your calf muscles.Calfes are made up of slow twitch muscle fibres which means they are designed for endurance work not lifting heavy loads.

Look at how your lifting the load and adjust your feet to put the weight on your quads,glutes and hamstrings ie flat feet,knees slightly bent with a neutral spine.

Your calfes will get stronger with time its just painful at first as they are not used to the type of work you are doing.

In the mean time try taking on some protein at meal times to help repair the damaged muscle tissue.

[Goaty]

I'm over 40 and have spent most of my working life on my feet. I've wondered is it?

changing footwear

Posture

Age

I'm not in pain but if I get a day jumping in and out a tractor or truck it doesn't help. I have a good chiropractor. He assessed me and found found my outer arches in the feet are falling. Normally it's the inner arches, that fail.

I am working on slowing down but I've always kind if launched myself in and out of vehicles, by nature I don't prolong anything except paperwork.