Aching calves?

[woodsy]

Anyone have this problem of aching calves after a day or two of hiking. Wondering if it is just me or are others afflicted with this. Only packing 15-20 lbs. Could be that I'm just out of shape?
Thanks for your input.

[Skidsteer]

Sure.

Not just my calves, either. And I'm in decent shape.

[halftime]

Anyone have this problem of aching calves after a day or two of hiking. Wondering if it is just me or are others afflicted with this. Only packing 15-20 lbs. Could be that I'm just out of shape?
Thanks for your input.

According to my better half (30 years as a nurse), being out of shape could certainly be a reason. However, this could also be result of not being well hydrated. If you are having cronic soreness and stretchning in the morning does not help, this may be a reason. If you are having muscle cramps, restoring electorlytes (found in sports drinks) could also help.

If this pain is occuring in one calf and not the other and/or is not due to soreness(constant when not moving), you might consult with a doctor (could possible be a clot). Also if you are having other symptoms that are seemingly unrelated (such as fatique or fever) you might check with a doctor as well.

[fiddlehead]

When that happens to me, it is because i'm not up to my top shape. I always expect some pain the first month of a thru-hike and then settle into a pain-free, hike. I do also believe that being dehyrated can add to the problem and ALWAYS try to stay well hydrated when hiking, running, getting over a hangover, or just plain working.

[Frosty]

If this pain is occuring in one calf and not the other and/or is not due to soreness(constant when not moving), you might consult with a doctor (could possible be a clot). Also if you are having other symptoms that are seemingly unrelated (such as fatique or fever) you might check with a doctor as well.

Especially if the pain in just one calf is combined with shortness of breath. And if the pain moves from the calf to the thigh, then see a doctor right away (this would mean the clot is moving).

Blood clots in the calf are dangerous, but usually are the result of a long period (as in hours) of inactivity. Most commonly they occur after long airplane flights, for instance (a good reason for getting up and walking around every hour on a flight).

(I only know this due to a scare I had last year. Mine turned out to be a torn calf muscle, but until an ultrasound exam determined that, I learned a lot more about deep vein thrombosis than I ever wanted to know.)

[Jim Adams]

i'm so out of shape that i simply don't worry about my calves. i only hurt from the hair line down.

[woodsy]

i'm so out of shape that i simply don't worry about my calves. i only hurt from the hair line down.

LOL, Give a few more years.
Don't suppose 2 thru hikes and 29 years of whitewater has anything to do with it?
Guess I can contribue my achy calf muscles to exercise,exertion, and outa shape. Climbed to 4,010' Tuesday, up S.Crocker, nice climb on a nice day, now I'm paying for it for a few days.
I noted Fiddlehead says this ache clears up after awhile for thru hikers and that answered my next question

[Amigi'sLastStand]

Make sure you stretch, stay hydrated and monitor your K intake. Ca, Mg, and K are 3 nutrients hikers often over look. A lot of trail food lack these.

[Jim Adams]

nice hike woodsy. i'm not far from nice mountainous terrain but nothing like that.
my full time job is horrible for true fitness, as a result i tend to keep the weight off for 6 months after a thru hike then just put it back on. since my metabolism slowed with age (and my eating hasn't ) my weight fluctuates greatly with any and all exercise or exertion. my part-time whitewater job helps alot in the summer thou.

[Skidsteer]

Sheesh!

You guys got me thinking that I'm having a major health crisis or something.

Am I the only one that gets sore muscles after hiking?

[bigcranky]

You're not the only one. My calves ache after a weekend hike every time.

[Skidsteer]

You're not the only one. My calves ache after a weekend hike every time.

Phewwww! Thank Goodness.

And I'm not the only honest hiker left either.

[kab21]

I'm practically just a kid and I ache after hiking. I'm sure I'll feel today's 16 miles tomorrow.

but what has been said above about eating/drinking while hiking is true and will improve the recovery time. In addition to what has been said above, drinking your gatorade style drinks during and after workouts will help. Vitamin C has also been shown to reduce recovery time. I'm trying to get some Emergen-C tablets for my hike for this reason (just haven't ordered them yet).

One thing of note is that juice (fructose) should only be consumed after working out since it can cause indigestion type problems.

Kirk

[woodsy]

[quote=Skidsteer Phewwww! Thank Goodness.

And I'm not the only honest hiker left either. [/quote]


Phewww is right, seems to be a common ailment among those hikers who are willing to admit it . I'm relieved it's not a major health crisis, just a temporary one till the next hike

[hopefulhiker]

Poor things! Better send them back to the barn!

[shades of blue]

My wife's a nurse also. She tells me that when you cool down too quickly, lactic acid stays in your muscles and that is a major cause of soreness. She makes me cool down and stretch when I get to camp instead of just stopping and laying down from being tired. I never want to stretch, but since I've listened to her, my legs don't ache all night and I rest much better. You know, maybe it's the listening to my wife and not anything to do with stretching.

[orangebug]

Your wife it explaining why charley horses occur. I don't know what some of these complaints mean, and would be a bit concerned with peripheral vascular disease, except I suspect they start hurting a long time past a walk across a parking lot.

The descriptions given are probably simply poor conditioning.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

With deep vein thrombosis (clot in legs), they hurt with slight exercise and it gets worse the more you exert. The pain would make even L. Wolf stop and cry. If your legs are hurting after you hike, you can pretty much rule this condition out as a cause.

[FatMan]

Aching muscles are a given for me. And the older I get, the more I ache. Even when I'm in hiking shape.

But if it is only your calf muscles that ache you may want to make sure you are not hiking on your toes. Hike with a heal toe motion even when climbing and decending. Toe walking, especially when climbing, will put a lot of strain on your calf muscles.

[Michele]

Hey Woodsy,

Just wanted to mention one thing that happened to me. I went on a weekend hike and had extremely sore calves (i'm out of shape as well...so thought it was normal). I went out again about a month later, only this time I had added some superfeet insoles in my trailrunners. Same trail, actually a bit more weight in my pack and no sore calves. I firmly believe it was because my feet/ankle/leg were not properly aligned with the stock insoles in my Salomon trailrunners and the superfeet helped fix that. They're $30.00...you ought to give them a try, but break them in first. Good luck!