Calf Pain! MUST KNOW This- Is it Manual Muscle Strain or Clot? 

My heroes! They've really helped me with a variety of issues from arthritis pain to back pain and everything in between!

Thank you for the info! When I had a DVT under my knee I could barely stand on my leg. Definitely felt worse than a leg cramp. Getting ultrasound right away showed the clot and I was hospitalized.

Magnesium is great but it takes forever to work. I was in a hospital bed when i got a cramp in my calf that continued to creep up and beyond my knee! I asked the nurse for some mag and she said how about some yellow mustard. It's faster. OMG was she right. In seconds, the pain was gone (5-10) and in another minute the stiffness was no longer a problem. Just google it on YT.

Thank goodness the theme song is back! I recommend your channel to many people, and I tell them that the song is the way they can know but they are at the right place.

I get severe calf cramping from magnesium deficiency, especially when i have become dehydrated. I understand calcium deficiency can cause the same thing. Might be good to mention these to your audience also.

I’m a hypochondriac. I have every disease I hear about.

The intro song is GOLD!

I have what my doc says is a chronic dvt in my pereneal vein in my left calf. I had been complaining about pain in my left calf for years! My previous Dr sent me in for scans on my legs and didn't find anything. Short story, I got fed up with the Drs at that clinic and moved somewhere else. My new Dr found the chronic DVT in my left calf and started me on Eliquis (blood thinner). I go in a couple of weeks to get another scan. Imo, you don't have to listen and accept everything your Dr says is the truth. You know your own body. Best to listen to that. 🤔

Oh my gosh right timing!!! Thank you so much!! You guys truly save my posture and my pains from aching. Please keep making videos. Thank you so very much!

Ty so much for all of your videos! I went and had a ultrasound done because of nagging pain in my calf Thankfully it is nothing but it's best to be safe.

Dude I'm 20 seconds in and I already like these guys :)

Glad this video exists! I just pulled a muscle in my calf yesterday

Thank you for creating so many helpful videos! You guys are awesome!

You guys are great! Best simple and quick explanations out there

Just got my calf checked today ,full of clots thanks guys

Yes I've been patient for three years through all my time visiting leave out feeling well support everyone there is great most of all very loveable and kind and patient I would recommend y'all to any one who looking for physical therapist health quest is the best I give y'all 5 thumbs up 👍👍👍👍👍❤️

Many thanks for the idea thru your channel about getting a cane. For emergencies! When your leg goes nuts, it's a great help! I bought one 1-2 years ago - didn't use, but it's coming in handy when surprises pop up.

Anyone considered it may be a calcium/magnesium deficiency? Muscle cramps (especially in the calves), low back ache, insomnia, irritability, menstrual cramps, arrhythmia and even constipation .... they are all symptoms of mineral deficiency, particularly cal/mag.

"MUST KNOW" possible clot ... RU-vid: I'm gonna put TWO full commercials on front of this one!!!

Hi fellow hypochondriacs and health anxiety havers! I just went to urgent care with calf pain and behind the knee pain. No swelling, no redness. Pain about a 7/8. They sent me right to the ER! I had a D-Dimer test. It was positive, .84. However, ultrasound was clear as can be. No DVT for this girl. Every professional said it is smart to go in early, especially if you have health anxiety. You can have a yes or no pretty quickly, and you will either get treatment or at least won't lose any sleep over it.

What a shapely calf. We should put ours side by side and see how they like each other. I have a superficial clot in my calf just below the knee. You can see it bulging out and the skin is a bit darker round it. It hurts to touch and aches. The doctor diagnosed thrombophlebitis and said I may need blood thinners and compression stockings if it doesn’t resolve by itself as there's a small risk of developing a DVT. That was a month ago. It's no better really. Should I be concerned? I don’t fancy a clot in the lungs.

Hello Gents, I took a step down and I felt/heard a snap in my left calf. Second day was terrible pain. An ER visit revealed no clot or break. Still waiting on an ortho consult. Tried your tips able to bear weight and take care of my self. **Concern is the blood pooling around my foot. **my foot is near purple and swollen, sixth day, keeping it elevated.

Excellent mention of comparable sign checking on the opposite leg.

I've been making great progress with calf raises and lunges......maybe got too aggressive with my thinking my body could do it all. Thanks for the great information.

You guys are simply great.

A calf contraction is one of the most painful things you can experience, it is absolutely agonizing.

You guys are hilarious and smart!!!! Thanks for what you post!

Thanks! 🙂

This might be the only time I catch you guys on, love your videos I've literally have gotten rid of around 80% of my pain and that's thanks to you guys!!!! i have a quick question though, In all of your lower back pain and sciatica you guys say it's good if you start to centralize the pain, the only question is what next, I've just recently started to feel the pain only in my lower back no more crazy pain of sciatica but now what I'm kinda lost and I really want to be pain free it's been almost 3 years of daily pain, since I started watching your videos and doing your recommended exercises it's been 4 weeks of almost no pain and zero pain killers, if you do answer cool if not thanks any way God bless you guys and I really wish you guys a healthy back

Very helpful, thank you Bob & Brad.

Sometimes it seems like about every two or three months this happens to me only mostly when I'm sleeping when I stretch my legs muscles a big extremely painful pulled muscle or strain it lasts for about 30 seconds or even a little bit longer,I usually massage my leg and hoping that that will take care of it I'm not for sure.and this pain at measured from 1 to 10 it would be a 10 extremely painful for about 30 seconds

Thank you. I had a pain but thank God it doesn't fit any of the descriptions. My pain is on the other side of my calf close to my knee. Its probably a strain. I was concerned because I drive without stopping for long periods.

I’m so glad you said the tennis thing, I’ve been worrying all day since it was the first day I played in a couple of weeks.

Very good and very enlightening.

It can take months and months when you correct a calf problem. I know I've suffered with pain in calf's, affected tracking in me knee for years and even my doctor's and physio couldnt work out what was causing it. Just a simple change of shoe size solved all my issues. Still get tight calf on the one leg but not as bad. When you wear the wrong size shoes for so many years it causes years of damage that needs some time to heal. I thought I'd never get better thought I'd be in this hell forever cos it literally was hell on earth. If u have bad legs u know it

Thank u both..

Im always recommending your videos to my clients My pain n burning is on the lateral gastroc This happened when i had covid n had to sleep the whole day n night .

The top of the calf on both my legs are always very tight to the point of an aggravating ache.... I have tried everything in the way of exercises and stretching to no avail..... My ankles are always loose and flexible as are my feet and knees, it's just that mu calfs feel like they are so engorges they can't release....

I wasn't sure if I had a muscle tear or strain, or if it was DVT? Although I had some long haul flights, I had been quite active on my vacation so I had excuses for the leg swelling. So I watched the video and decided to sleep on the problem. However, if you have the slightest, slightest, slightest doubt of what it could be, do yourself and your love ones a favour and go immediately to the emergency room. Not only did I have DVT, I also had/have clots in my lungs. You wouldn't watch a video called: 'Is it a heart attack or indigestion?' You'd go straight to the hospital. DVT is a killer. Hats off to Bob & Brad for their video but this condition is not one you want to diagnosed with RU-vid or Google. Go to the frigging hospital. NOW.

You guys are great !!

thanks guys, your video convinced me to go get checked. Turned out to be a blood clot.

Thank you guys this helped

I have leg pain in calf for over 6 months now been hospital told me indont have clots but my leg keeps getting worse doctor didn't no what counseling it I got vencose veins in bite legs but I think I needed to hospital again after watching this

What about if the calf tightens up and has to be massaged out but no apparent cause? I was thinking a vitamin deficiency.

Two questions: 1) If I had foot-drop before (only 4 years ago), can it lead to compartment syndrome? Because I do on occasion get numbness and tingling in the same foot I got foot-drop. 2) I had a high ankle sprain in spring of 2012 and ever since I recovered from the injury, I’ve noticed whenever I exerted my ankle through walking-usually fast, but also for prolong periods without rest-my ankle would get inflamed. After rest, the pain resides, quite quickly at that. So it matches with your explanation of compartment syndrome. My question is: do I have compartment syndrome?

I have normal low blood pressure but today while lifting weights my right leg thigh started bleeding under the skin in a patch running towards my knee. The lower leg area had a ripple vein of blood two inches across, same leg. I stopped working out and I took two aspirin and elevated my leg.

Well done guys thank you so much for all your help 👌

I'm really scared I'm 14 years old and my right calf has this achey pain that i suddenly started feeling. I was sitting when it started happening, but I did run a mile today and didn't drink a lot of water today either.

How long do clots last? My pain is between the calf muscle and shin bone. Been there for weeks. Only symptom is tenderness. If feels like a bruise, but there isn’t one visible.

you both are great and your videos are so helpful , you both are super together and you both are excellent physical therapists , wish you had an office in New York 👍

Could this be related ti Sciatica that is moving sown the leg?

I just became a teacher in August and because of that I walk around a lot most days, I recently noticed that when I wake up in the morning my left calf feels really tight, but I don’t notice it throughout the day really. I’ve also always worked out in some fashion - I think I might have torn it doing yoga or a workout but idk. Do you have any ideas? Thanks!

I've been experiencing medial inner calf pain over the last week. For context, I dislocated my patella 5 weeks ago and have been proactive in RICE treatment, although I have fallen short on my physical therapy over the last few weeks. This calf pressure/pain has only been present for the last week. Initially, I favored my right leg heavily and used a cane for support but have now primarily switched to a knee brace when out and about. The pressure is mainly noticeable when seated and very rarely when walking. It is present in both legs in the same area, but when lying down or wakinhg up first thing in the morning not noticeable at all. The legs are NOT warm or hot to the touch, nor does there appear to be any swelling. My physiotherapist advised me to monitor it, but I am unsure of the cause. It could be due to dehydration, muscle strain, muscle atrophy, or, in the worst case, tendinitis or compartment syndrome. My foot is not numb, and it does not hurt when curled. Do you have any idea what this could be, even a best guess? I am at a loss, and the doctors I've seen have only told me to monitor it. I prefer to be proactive rather than passive.

My right calf is twitching and gets numb. What could this is be?

So I got calf pain in the outer region, you show the inner region, were's that from?

My issue is behind the knee. It hurts when I bend it, as in getting up into walking position and walking! It feels like it needs to pop but it won't! And also putting pressure on same knee causes pain! I went to get into my bed and lead with that right knee and its quite painful!! I noticed that I started having pain in the front right knee cap which felt like I twisted it!

I currently have pain above my knee going down my leg and goes above my foot and I tried some tiger balm it helped but that area of my leg started throbbing not painful like heart beat sensation in my leg!

I got it while walking those steep grades on the crosswalks. 😞 i feel real bad for the elderly and the handicapped some have a huge grade slopping onto the crosswalk

Thanks.👍

You guys are famous in the right way and my question is does pain become a issue in the brain where apparently you could be in pain but it's not as bad as you think

Thank you for this! Ive had a calf issue for a while now

left (blue white shirt) has great bodybuilding genes.. he could be great bodybuilder.

What about calf pain that comes and goes? Only my right calf. Sometimes after no activity- just typical standing and walking etc? I also walk, mountain bike and cycle on my peloton. I e been terrible with my nutrients lately. (Skipping meals, not eating enough, not taking my supplements. Could it be a cal/mag deficiency? I wasn’t having this at all while intensely working out at orange theory for months before the closures. ETA- I’m a 37 year old female

What about Sciatic?

thanks a lot!

My pain in left leg is so painful I don't want my left leg anymore, ever since my knee surgery its been a real pain

I get the compartment syndrome symptoms in my left calf sometimes when I'm sitting for a while. It aches really bad in the same area but it goes away one I stretch my leg and stand. I've had an ultrasound and x ray done about 4 years ago. No injuries or blood clots were found.

2:37. Interesting. My pain was in the calf AND in my knee when I was trying to cross my leg over my knee. Left knee has arthritis and possibly meniscus tear. I'm now able to walk better from just 6 weeks ago. But 2020 was a bad year for my knee with three injuries and I finally see a Ortho surgeon about my knee.

I drive a lot, and at night, while I'm sleeping, i have a few Charlie horses. And now I'm feeling a thumping feeling in my calf muscle.

What about back upper thigh pain and hurts when bending knee?

My calf muscle hurts when walking up hill after staphenous vein removal for my heart op. Any excersises I can do?

What if it’s on the outside in that spot?

I have that compariment syndrome its a longterm for now 10yrs 😭😭😭Any help Docs?? im from Kenya 🇰🇪

Meanwhile I, as someone with health anxiety, am here because of a cramp.

Man these guys are as funny as they are educational

I work in masonry and calf been killing me for a month so far tightens and pain like crazy fell one day bc of it.

I have been having a pain in my calf’s for the last few days. I don’t run, I walk and try not to sit for more than 50 minutes etc. someone suggested drinking more water and take magnesium etc. I am relatively an active person but not in sports etc

Hiighave question igam stroke but ivfeel scalf pain

I usually get side calf pain when I walk. I am overweight and just started exercising, and I noticed this. Any thoughts?

It has been 5 days now, since I've had a red spot, on the back of my left calf. And it's GROWN TREMENDOUSLY!! and it hurts, and feels numb at the same time. I'm sitting right now, in the emergency room.

I have a broken 5th metatarsal and ive had severe front outer calf muscle pain (to the left of my shin) it's centered and a huge knot very painful and warm ... Is this from my broken foot??

When you mentioned vibes.... I subscribed 🤣🤣💗☺️

So glad I saw this. 4 weeks into calf strain. I am not better. This is my second one in a year. First it was left leg now right leg. My foot is stiff and it keeps swelling up if I sit up too long. I have went back and forth so many times. I am getting nowhere. I can't even put weight on my foot. I don't know what they did. They put fiberglass stent on with foot crooked. a week later put a different put a plaster one on and straightened foot out. Now I am nowhere near ready to go. My first calf strain I was fine. I never went to dr cuz of covid. Wishing I hadn't this time. :(

Blood clot hurts real bad , I’m on warfarin 10 mg. a day , it’s been about 2 1/2 months now it feel hot and painful Ido get blood test 2 times a week sometimes I feel like it’s fracture around the ankle.

I worked for Fedex for five years. But now when I walk just a short distance my right calf starts to hurt if I keep Walking it feels like it’s about to explode.. but could it be because I have flat feet?

haha, just came across this video in tandem with the channel. Im glad i did, pretty nice guys, helpful information that even the layman can understand and process. thanks a lot Gentlemen. i owe ya alike and sub.

So does bouncing your leg help reduce your DVT chance?

Going on 2nd week. Went to ER they did an ultrasound 1 day ago. NO CLOT they said. I believe it is a result of straight leg deadlifts however I have never had soreness last this long.

I feel like mine is a muscle strain. But can one occur without feeling a sharp pain? I just woke up today with the typically post cramp pain without the initial leg cramp that would wake me up at night.

The pain I have is near the leg cup, a little bit lower on the right side of my left leg. It pains when I walk. I have been inactive. Nothing much to do and I am supposed to take a two hour drive to another town to do construction work but I really also want to rest from family stress just take a quiet time

@physicaltherapyvideo I love your videos, guys. However, regarding your video detailing the tests you can perform to tell if you have a rotator cuff tear, could you clarify if the tests demonstrated can successfully identify a partial rotator cuff tear or can they only identify a full rotator cuff tear? Thanks!

i had a 100% snapped Achilles tendon approx 20 years ago, my calf muscle is still very weak and small in comparison to my right calf,can only walk a few yards and getting intermittent pain just recently as well as varicose veins just behind left knee.

I do construction. I pinched nurve at work on my left side where I have sciatica. And I was on roof shooting off plywood and my calve muscle started hurting. So if I do constantly work how long would it heal. What I need to do? And does sciatica makes it worse?

When I'm healed from a calf muscle strain, how long after can I resume physical activity?

I’m trying to get more cardio in waiting two weeks seems a while with no cardio

I have this horrible constant cramping sensation in my calf. I did absolutely nothing to cause a muscle strain. And the pain won't go away. I can't walk very well, and now my feet are killing me from the pressure 😫

I have an uncomfortable and tingly feeling at the back of my knee. Sometimes it would have a burning sensation. Sometimes the joint at knee feels stiff as well. I am also a bit overweight. Could it be a circulation problem?

I also have that thing on my musical of the lower leg... it hurts really.. and its enborn.. It really hurts.. makes me wanna cry. And makes me feel wanted to have original leg.. im still young! Maybe if i become mature soon ill cry like a bababy...

Does it have to be calf? If a knee is swollen, could that be an indicator of blood clot?

Which medicine is good??