Is it all in the calf muscle?
When someone comes into you with a tight calf muscle, one of the questions asked is - do you stretch? Often the answer is “Yes, I have tried many stretches but they do not seem to work very well”. I have also tried the foam rolling it helps a little. And having a calf massage feels good but afterwards the muscles soon tighten back up again.
What else could it try?
Some ideas I would be thinking - are the calf muscles the problem or are they reacting to something else going on? - What are the quads and hamstrings doing? Are they tight? What’s happening at the foot? It’s always worth checking motion in the back, hips and pelvis for mobility and strength. How are your breathing mechanics and rib movement? A compensation of some sort in these areas could influence a calf muscle tightness.
Ankle mobility - check for restrictions around the ankle joint - trying to mobilise the ankle joint will give an indication of movement of the ankle and compare with the other ankle. Are the feet moving well? How well do you move through the gait cycle?
.
Have you had any back issues? Is the calf complex strong enough?
So sometimes you just need to do some detective work to find if any other problems are contributing to the tight calf muscles.
Comments