Three of the Best Stretches For Tight Calf Muscles

Tight calf muscles are a very common complaint indeed. Often the tightness felt in these muscles is merely a symptom of a problem somewhere else. Calf muscles tend to tighten up when a person is suffering from flat foot arches, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, hip problems and back problems. Stretching your calf muscles can be very helpful indeed when suffering from one of these problems.

 

Which muscles to stretch, gastrocnemius and soleus
Image of calf muscles

 

 

The Soleus and the Gastrocnemius are the muscles that make up your calves. They are attached to your heel via the Achilles Tendon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flexibility Test:

 

Start off with sitting down with your legs straight out. Now pull the toes back towards your knee. This should give you a stretching sensation in your calves. While pulling the toes and foot back toward yourself, you ought to be capable of bending your ankle at about 10 or 20 degrees past a 90 degree bend. If not, then you have calf muscles that are too tight.

 

Stretch Them Out With These 3 Physiotherapy Exercises

 

(1). CALF STRETCH ON STAIRS – Stand on the ball of your feet at the edge of a stair-step. Start pressing our heels down towards the floor and hold for 10 seconds, repeat 7 times.

 

(2). PASSIVE SOLEUS STRETCH – This is always a difficult one to get your head around. Just read it twice. We are going to stretch the left calf muscle. Before we do so, we are going to position our right leg properly. Stand and place you palms against the wall and keep your toes pointed forward. Pull your right foot back about a foot. Slightly bend your knee and you’ll put your gastrocnemius on slack.

 

Make sure your heels are still on the floor. Now bend the left knee until you feel the stretch in the lower portion of the left calf. Hold this position for 10 seconds and repeat 7 times.

 

gastro stretch
Stretching the Gastronemius by Milton Chiropractic Clinic

(3). PASSIVE GASTROCNEMIUS STRETCH – Stand up straight and face the wall being approximately half an arms length away from the wall/tree. Point your toes toward the wall. Put the palms of our hands on the wall and pull the right foot backward about a foot. Bend your left knee slowly while the knee remains straight and make sure that the heels are flat on the floor.

 

You should feel a gentle stretch in the right lower leg. Hold this again for 10 seconds and repeat 7 times. Make sure you do both legs.