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Ask Strangers on the Internet Health Advice Pt. 2172837432: calf pain

by JudahLow
Sun, Jun 14, 2015 20:25
4

I only just got back into cycling and have been experiencing a pain/soreness on the upper outside of my right calf/on the outside of the lower part of my knee. I've searched the internet and it suggests that my seat may be too high, but I've adjusted this and any lower and I'll probably start getting knee pain instead...

Are there any other reasons for calf pain - particularly just in the one leg? Surely if my seat was too high I'd get something similar in both legs... Is it possible that I've just strained the muscle through overexertion (within about 2 days of getting my bike I probably cycled about 70 miles - having not done any cycling for about 4 years previous to that) and it will eventually go away if I rest long enough?

I appreciate the stock answers are a) ask a trained health professional and b) get a proper bike fit but I cannot afford the latter and would rather keep the doctors out of it until I really have to go.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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4 comments

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JudahLow | 9 years ago
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I don't wear cleats - my bike came with those plastic cage things at the front of the pedal (I will move onto cleats one day, but again my budget is holding me back for at least a month).

Thanks for the suggestions though, both. I'l try and tone down the distance this week and just commute to and from work (~6 miles a day) and see whether that helps at all. The odd thing is that I took a day off from cycling on Saturday after quite a manic week (for me at least - 60 odd miles) and felt fine, then cycled about ten miles to central London the next day, sat down for a bit in the cinema, and then when I stood back up the familiar old pain was back.

It's not too debilitating at the moment; mildy irking at worst. Weirdly I can cycle with minimum to no pain, it's just when I bend my leg OFF the bike that it hurts. I realise that if it hurts, that's a sign to stop and rest but I'm still struggling with the new addiction of cycling everywhere. I live in London and haven't been on a tube in weeks - for anyone living in London this is an exciting development in transport hell!

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sergius | 9 years ago
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You didn't mention whether you are using cleats, if not then it's less likely to be a positioning thing as your subconscious is rather good at making adjustments to alleviate pain.

Calves are a little funny, if you are "doing it right" (as I understand it) your calves should be barely working while cycling, the power comes from your thighs and gluts - calves just provide the end of the lever.

I know that I can spend 3 days in the gym working my legs (everything but calves directly) and be fine a couple of days later to do 75+ miles on the weekend. If I work my calves I get really bad DOMs and will then likely experience cramp when cycling a few days later. TBH I just tend to leave mine alone and only ride my bike and work my thighs (lunges/squats/leg extensions) in the gym.

Everyone's different, I'd suggest some internet research on bike fitting to start with (especially on cleat positions). For me personally, moving my cleats as close to the arch of my foot as the shoes allow - and limiting calf exercise, has virtually eliminated any pain I got in the lower half of my legs.

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CXR94Di2 | 9 years ago
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Far too much too soon. Start at square one. Less than 5 miles every other day for a week. Then 8 miles same routine second week. Slowly build duration but not intensity for at least a month. If you go at it too quickly you will injure yourself and it will set you back even further

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Kapelmuur replied to CXR94Di2 | 9 years ago
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CXR94Di2 wrote:

Far too much too soon. Start at square one. Less than 5 miles every other day for a week. Then 8 miles same routine second week. Slowly build duration but not intensity for at least a month. If you go at it too quickly you will injure yourself and it will set you back even further

I got my first road bike 3 years ago at the age of 64 having had very little exercise for 5 years because of knee and calf problems caused by distance running.

First time out I rode 10 miles and it seemed very easy, actually in the same time as I used to run the distance.

Thinking that 10 miles was not enough I upped the distance to 15 miles 3 times a week which still was easy compared to running, so a week later I increased my rides to a minimum of 25 miles.

I accept that we're all different, but 5 miles every other day seems very conservative to me.

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