Painful calves are a common complaint. Whether you are a runner, tennis player or simply walk a decent amount throughout your day, you may find yourself complaining of achy, tight and cramping calf muscles. Your calf muscles are called the Gastrocnemius; plural Gastrocnemii. These muscles form the "bulging" shape at the back of your lower legs. The muscle that sits just deep to the Gastrocnemius is called the Soleus and together these muscles are quite powerful and they run from the back of the knee and insert all the way down at the heel in a cord or tendon called the Achilles Tendon. Therefore, the Gastrocnemius muscles (inner and outer muscles) + Soleus = The Calf
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The Gastrocnemius functions in quick movements in the leg such as running and jumping while the soleus initiates more when still or in a stance position. The gastrocnemius muscle is prone to muscle cramping and spasms. These are involuntary and may last several seconds to minutes. Often, amongst women who wear high heel shoes, the calf muscles stay shortened for long periods of time and may eventually accommodate its new length by shortening and becoming tight. Another issue is inflammation of the gastrocnemius commonly caused by overuse injuries. This pain and inflammation can be helped by oral anti-inflammatories, stretching, massage, myofascial or muscle release, heat therapy, topical anti-inflammatories to name a few. Below I will discuss two of these treatments; Stretching and Myofascial (Muscle) release techniques.
Stretching:
Lets go over a few basic stretching techniques. The first is static stretching.
Static Stretching is the most common type of stretching. You all have most likely performed this type of stretching before. Basically, this is a stretch that is held in a position that is somewhat comfortable but at the same time challenging for a period of time usually 10-30 seconds. Many experts believe that static stretching is not as beneficial for improving range of motion and function as compared to dynamic stretching.
Dynamic Stretching is when you repeatedly move through a comfortable but challenging range of motion stretch. This occurs approximately 10-12 times. You must repeat these moves in a controlled, smooth and deliberate fashion.
Hold-Relax Stretching aka a type of PNF Stretching (proprioceptive muscular facilitation) can be both passive or active. Hold-relax stretching specifically is performed by contracting or holding and passive stretching or relaxing. PNF stretching usually involves a 10 second push phase followed by a 10 second relaxation phase, typically repeated a few times. These types of stretches involve a partner actively stretching the participant by some combination of altering contraction and relaxation of both agonist and antagonist muscle groups. An advantage of PNF stretching is the possibility of producing greater improvement in flexibility compared to other techniques. Its disadvantage is that, it typically requires a partner. So grab a partner to work with, this can be a motivation booster!
There was a recent study performed in the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation 2015 by Nakamura et al that showed there is indeed a difference between static stretching and hold-relax stretching. The results showed that end range of motion (ROM) and passive torque at the end ROM significantly increased immediately after both hold-relax stretching and static stretching, whereas muscle stiffness significantly decreased. In addition, the percent change in passive torque at end ROM upon use of the hold-relax stretching technique was significantly higher than that after use of the static stretching technique. However, the percent change in muscle stiffness following static stretching was significantly higher than that with hold-relax stretching. Basically, they suggested that both hold-relax stretching and static stretching can effectively decrease muscle stiffness of the gastrocnemius. In addition, these results suggest that hold-relax stretching induces a change in the passive torque at end ROM, i.e., sensory perception, rather than changing muscle stiffness.
See Pic
The Gastrocnemius functions in quick movements in the leg such as running and jumping while the soleus initiates more when still or in a stance position. The gastrocnemius muscle is prone to muscle cramping and spasms. These are involuntary and may last several seconds to minutes. Often, amongst women who wear high heel shoes, the calf muscles stay shortened for long periods of time and may eventually accommodate its new length by shortening and becoming tight. Another issue is inflammation of the gastrocnemius commonly caused by overuse injuries. This pain and inflammation can be helped by oral anti-inflammatories, stretching, massage, myofascial or muscle release, heat therapy, topical anti-inflammatories to name a few. Below I will discuss two of these treatments; Stretching and Myofascial (Muscle) release techniques.
Stretching:
Lets go over a few basic stretching techniques. The first is static stretching.
Static Stretching is the most common type of stretching. You all have most likely performed this type of stretching before. Basically, this is a stretch that is held in a position that is somewhat comfortable but at the same time challenging for a period of time usually 10-30 seconds. Many experts believe that static stretching is not as beneficial for improving range of motion and function as compared to dynamic stretching.
Dynamic Stretching is when you repeatedly move through a comfortable but challenging range of motion stretch. This occurs approximately 10-12 times. You must repeat these moves in a controlled, smooth and deliberate fashion.
Hold-Relax Stretching aka a type of PNF Stretching (proprioceptive muscular facilitation) can be both passive or active. Hold-relax stretching specifically is performed by contracting or holding and passive stretching or relaxing. PNF stretching usually involves a 10 second push phase followed by a 10 second relaxation phase, typically repeated a few times. These types of stretches involve a partner actively stretching the participant by some combination of altering contraction and relaxation of both agonist and antagonist muscle groups. An advantage of PNF stretching is the possibility of producing greater improvement in flexibility compared to other techniques. Its disadvantage is that, it typically requires a partner. So grab a partner to work with, this can be a motivation booster!
There was a recent study performed in the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation 2015 by Nakamura et al that showed there is indeed a difference between static stretching and hold-relax stretching. The results showed that end range of motion (ROM) and passive torque at the end ROM significantly increased immediately after both hold-relax stretching and static stretching, whereas muscle stiffness significantly decreased. In addition, the percent change in passive torque at end ROM upon use of the hold-relax stretching technique was significantly higher than that after use of the static stretching technique. However, the percent change in muscle stiffness following static stretching was significantly higher than that with hold-relax stretching. Basically, they suggested that both hold-relax stretching and static stretching can effectively decrease muscle stiffness of the gastrocnemius. In addition, these results suggest that hold-relax stretching induces a change in the passive torque at end ROM, i.e., sensory perception, rather than changing muscle stiffness.
Static Stretching against wall. Stand about three feet from a a wall and put your right foot behind you ensuring your toes are facing forward. Keep your heel on the ground and lean forward with your right knee straight. Rotating the toes in and out slightly will target the medial and lateral parts of this muscle separately. Hold this for 30 to 60 seconds. To stretch the Soleus stay in the same position you were in the standing gastrocnemius stretch but slide you back leg in slightly and bend both knees. This time, keep both heels firmly planted on the ground.
Static Stretching on a stair Stand facing up a flight of stairs. With both feet on the bottom stair, inch your toes back until your heels jut off the front edge. Place your hands on an adjacent wall or grip a handrail for light support. Keeping your back straight, your head over your spine and your shoulders down and back, engage your abs and shift your weight slightly over your right foot. Slowly lower your right heel toward the floor, lengthening -- but not locking -- your right knee. When you experience a light stretching sensation behind your right lower leg, hold the position for up to 30 seconds.
Hold-Relax (PNF) Stretch: Lie on the floor on your back with both legs outstretched. Bend one knee keeping your foot firmly planted on the floor.Lift your other leg straight into the air and at right angles or as close as you can make it to the floor. Flex the heel of the lifted leg as if you were walking on the ceiling. Get your partner to stand facing you and grasp the back of your upraised heel with one hand and press down gently, but firmly on the sole of your foot with the other hand.They press for 5 seconds while you allow your foot to yield to the pressure. Push against their resistance for 15 seconds. Resume relaxing the foot and allowing your partner to press firmly then resist again. Perform 6 cycles of this. Each cycle you should notice you can stretch further without a great deal more effort. If you don’t have partner to assist you use a towel, resistive band or belt wrapped over the heel and centre of your foot to provide the resistance. Image from: http://www.t-nation.com/img/photos/310calf3.jpg
My next post will contain some other tips for your calves including how to use a foam roller. Stay tuned!
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