Diagnosis of Calf Pain
Diagnosing calf pain requires taking a detailed medical history, asking a few questions, performing a physical exam, and sometimes ordering a few imaging tests. Here’s a brief overview of each step of the process.
Medical history
Your healthcare provider will ask questions about your calf pain symptoms and medical history. During this visit, you’ll be asked: When did the pain start? Where is the pain located? How severe is the pain? Is it constant, intermittent, or both? Have you had similar pain in the past? Have you had any recent injuries to the affected area? Have you recently had surgery? Have you recently used certain medications? What, if anything, seems to bring pain relief?
To answer these questions, it would be an excellent idea to gather some information about your symptoms to know how to describe them to your doctor. These details are essential for your healthcare provider because they will help them rule out many diagnoses. If you had any injury or trauma, mention that in detail, even if it didn’t happen very recently.
Medical history of trauma and injuries is particularly important if you have calf pain because it is usually associated with muscle-related problems. It is also important to mention if you recently had a change in your physical activity levels.