Training & Nutrition - Calf Muscle injury = off bike how long?

I have a small tear in my right calf muscle along the inner side. Yes, I've been to see a doctor about it, and he knows I ride pretty hard so he's recommended that I stay off the bike for a while. Initially it was very painful, but R.I.C.E. helped a lot. At this point it isn't painful to walk, just tight, but very tender to pressure. The tenerness runs from the inner side of the belly of the calf muscle along a straight line pointing to the middle of the back of my heel, but the tenderness ends about 5" above the heel.

I have two questions for the collected wisdom:

How soon can I reasonably expect to get back to riding without risking reinjury? (weeks? months?)
What can I do or eat to help the healing process?

So, was it the Gastroc(sp?). I injured mine in volleyball, but actually used the bike to exercise. It depends upon how bad the injury is for you and your age. At 45, it took a lot longer than it did when I did it at 30 and it was a more severe injury at 30. Unless it is a severe tear, you can get back to riding "easy" within 7 -14 days probably. But, remember this is from my experience and I am not a medical professional.

Good luck with recovery.

Well, age may be a factor. I'm 50. I have been talking to my doc about it, but he's not a cyclist, so he basically said I should use my best judgement.

Getting back to riding easy in a week or two I can stand. More time than that off the bike and I start feeling "bleah".

I am 45 and did it this spring while coaching some high school club volleyball. It took about a week for me to get back to riding, but running took almost 45, I think. It seemed like a year. Good luck.

I have a small tear in my right calf muscle along the inner side.Just curious, did you tear it while riding? I have a muscle in my calf that I tore playing squash once and I occasionally reinjure it while running but have never had a problem while cycling. When I do tear it I usually have to wait 7-14 days depending on how impatient I am. Longer is better.

That is a good question, because I tore mine in volleyball twice and it happened when I came down from a block. Not sure what happened as I know I didn't land on anyone. But cycling helped me when I was trying to rehab. I have felt it get tight during racquetball on occasions, but never hurt it.

Cycling and swimming should only aid int he rehab process. Consult a doctor as to the extent of the injury before doing anything.

I tore my gastrocnemius (sp?) a few years back. The tear itself wasn't the problem. So much blood collected in my ankle and swelled it up to the point I couldn't bear any weight on it. RICE, painkillers, and about 2 weeks off before I was able to get back on the bike.

Pulled a calf muscle doing some leaping dancing moves. I'm 64. Was painful to walk - could only walk flat-footed on that side and hurt a good bit to climb stairs. Kept biking, but kept the effort down, worked on spinning with heels down and relaxed. Healed in about 2 weeks.

This spring I ruptured a calf muscle on a Wednesday and did a double century that Saturday. It never hurt me while I was riding, but walking was another thing.

The general advice these days is to stay off of an injury until the initial inflamation is gone, and at that point you can start with rehab. The "stay off of it" approach is considered outdated.

If you can find/afford to see a physical therapist, I would highly recommend that, even if you just go in to get some advice.

it's funny- i crashed my bike a couple of weeks ago and landed on my tailbone. since then my sciatic nerve hurts if i'm on my feet for any length of time but i can ride my bike for hours without any pain