Calf Muscle Stretching: Health Benefits, Types, How to Do?

Calf stretching is an important exercise to improve the flexibility of your lower leg and reduce the risk of injury and many health benefits. It is the most recommended warm-up exercise and if you are performing regularly then it’s improve your overall fitness level.

What is the calf stretch?

Your calves may feel tight for so many different reasons. The calf is a combination of two muscles called the gastrocnemius and the soleus. These muscles are used regularly by walking from place to place or participating in strenuous exercise.

The calf consists of a network of muscles and tendons on the back and sides of the lower leg. The large muscle directly below the back of the knee is the gastrocnemius and the long muscles on the side and downward part of the calf are the soleus muscles. Both are attached to the heel through the Achilles tendon.

When they don’t have flexibility, it may influence your distribution of weight and the pressure you’re giving to other areas of your body as you move around. As a result, your ankle, foot, and knee may not function how they should. This may cause pain, tightness, and even injury, sidelining you from your favorite activities.

Calf pain has so many causes, involving tight and weak muscles of the lower leg, or an injury such as a calf pull or strain. Sometimes the pain isn’t enough to remind you to see a doctor, but it can still affect your fitness ability and enjoyment.

Stretching the calf muscles may help decrease pain and muscle soreness. Remember to warm up with a few minutes of cardio or a warm bath before stretching, and never forget to take your time to stretch well after a workout.

What are the benefits of calf stretching?

There are some advantages/benefits you can achieve by doing calf stretch :

• Activate the calf muscles. Your calf muscles do many everyday functions, including walking and standing, so they can easily become fatigued or stiff.
• Improve your short-term range of motion. Improve range of motion. Such as ankle plantar flexion.
• Improve long-term flexibility.
• Decrease muscle soreness.
• It also helps in locking your knee.
• Improve circulation in your leg.
• Reduce the frequency of leg cramps.
• Avoid Achilles Tendinitis
• Avoid Shin Splints
• Avoid Plantar Fasciitis

What are the types of calf stretch?

There are so many techniques used for a calf stretch :

• Calf muscle stretch with or without a wall
• Heel cord stretch with bent knee
• Towel Stretch
• Calf raises
• Dorsiflexion Stretch
• Downward Facing Dog
• Heel Drop Stretch
• Lunging Calf Stretch
• Standing Bent-Over Calf Stretch
• Runner’s Stretch
• Seated Calf Stretch
• Calf Stretches on a step
• Inner Calf Stretch
• Isometric Calf Raise
• Stretching the calves with a folding chair

Calf muscle stretch with or without a wall

There are two techniques for stretching the calf muscles. One needs a wall, and the other does not.

With a wall

How to stretch a calf: Stand around an arm’s length in front of a wall.
Place the left leg in front of the right. extend both arms to the wall.
Press the back (right) heel into the ground and extend the back leg while keeping the front leg flexed.
Hold this calf stretch for 15–20 seconds.
Perform the stretch on the opposite side.

Without a wall

How to stretch a calf: Place the left leg in front of the right leg.
Transfer the body’s weight onto the front (left) leg, while keeping the back heel pressed into the ground.
Hold this calf stretch for 10 –20 seconds.
Perform the stretch on the opposite side.
Prevent arching the back when performing this stretch.

Heel cord stretch with bent knee

This stretch needs the use of a wall.
How to stretch a calf: Stand with the left leg in front of the right leg.
Lightly flex the back (right) knee and slightly point the toes inward. compress both hands against the wall.
Keeping both heels flat on the floor, compress the hips toward the wall.
Hold this calf stretch for 30 seconds.
Perform the stretch on the opposite side.
When doing this stretch, try to maintain the hips centered over both feet and prevent leaning to one side.

Towel Stretch

This stretch needs a hand towel.
How to stretch a calf: Sit on the ground with both legs straight out in front.
Wrap the hand towel around the ball of the right foot. grab both ends of the towel.
Keeping the legs extended, pull the towel toward your body, and hold the towel stretch for 15-30 seconds. Then, relax for 15 – 30 seconds.
Perform the stretch 3 times, then perform the same on the other side.
Your back should be straight for the duration of the stretch.

Calf raises

This needs a tabletop or chair for support.
How to stretch a calf: Stand with the same body weight on each foot. grab onto a tabletop or the back of a chair for support.
Bend the left knee and lift the left foot. The right foot should take all of the body’s weight.
Keeping the right leg straight, raise the right heel as high as possible. Lower it, and repeat this motion 8-10 times.
Switch to the opposite side.

Dorsiflexion Stretch

How to stretch a calf: Sit on the ground with legs straight out in front.
Attach the elastic band tightly around a sturdy piece of furniture, such as a heavy chair or table. Loop the opposite end of the band around the foot.
Move the toes toward the body, then slowly return them to the beginning position.
Repeat the motion 10 times, then change to the opposite side.

Downward Facing Dog

How to stretch a calf: Start in all four limb positions with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
Then, as you push your hands into the ground, draw your head between your elbows and walk your butt into the air.
Drive your heels towards the ground. Hold this calf stretch for 30 – 60 seconds, peddling the feet turn by turn.

Heel Drop Stretch

How to stretch a calf: Take the yoga block, and find some elevated surface.
Step both feet up and place your feet so that your left heel is over the edge.
Drop most of your weight into that left heel as it drops toward the floor.
Hold this heel drop stretch for 30 seconds to a minute, then switch sides.
To stretch other angles of your calf, this stretch with the stretching leg slightly bent.
The heel drop can also be a good dynamic stretch to do during your warm-up and to test your range of motion. Begin with the same setup but rather have both of your heels over the edge. Drop your heels toward the ground, then press through the balls of your feet as you lift the heels. Repeat for 10-12 reps.

Lunging Calf Stretch

How to stretch a calf: Stand facing some feet away from a wall. If you’re not close to a wall, you can also just perform this with your hands on your hips.
Put your hands on the wall for support and step one foot behind into a mini lunge, flexing your front leg and keep your back leg extended.
Incline into the wall and press your back heel down so it’s flat on the floor. The far apart your feet are, the deeper the stretch will be.
Hold these lunges stretch for 30 seconds. and perform
it is on another side.

Standing Bent-Over Calf Stretch

How to stretch a calf: Stand with one foot behind your other.
Flex your back knee and keep your front knee extended as you fold forward and grasp onto your front foot underneath your toes.
Pull up slowly on your toes, feeling the stretch in the calf.
Repeat on the other side.

Runner’s Stretch

How to stretch a calf: Face a wall and take a standing position 12 inches away from it.
Straight your one leg behind you, keeping both feet flat on the ground and your rear knee extended.
Incline toward the wall until you feel the tension in the calf muscle of the straight leg. (You have put your both arms on the wall for balance.)
Hold the runner’s stretch for around 30 seconds.
Perform with the other leg.

Seated Calf Stretch

How to stretch a calf: Sit on the ground with your legs extended in front of you.
Lean forward and grasp the arches of your feet.
Pull your toes toward the body till you feel a stretch in your calf muscles.
Hold the calf stretch for up to 30 seconds.

Calf Stretches on a step

How to stretch a calf: Stand tall on a step with the heel of the right leg to be stretched resting off the back of the step.
Drop the heel down by slightly flexing the other knee until you feel a stretch in your calf.
Hold this calf stretch for 30 seconds and do it 2- 3 times
To stretch gastrocnemius, keep the knee extended throughout the stretching.
To stretch the soleus, flex the back knee slightly during the calf stretching.
If you are performing the exercises on the stairs, you can achieve more of a stretch if you place your other foot on a higher step

Inner Calf Stretch

How to stretch a calf: Stand leaning on a wall with the leg to be extended back behind you.
Laterally rotate the leg at the hip and then incline forwards until you feel a stretch in the calf, mainly on the inner side.
Hold this calf stretch for 30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times.

Isometric Calf Raise

How to stretch a calf: Start standing up straight with a chair about hip height in front of you, you should put both hands on the back of the chair with your feet around shoulder-width apart.
After grabbing the back of your chair, slowly lift both of your heels off the floor.
You should be on the heels of your feet and this is where the raise should be coming from.
Don’t put too much weight on your arms and maintain the position for the duration of time.
Hold this isometric stretch for 30 seconds.

Stretching the calves with a folding chair

How to stretch a calf: Put your folding chair upside down on your mat so that the underside and legs of the chair face you and the seat faces the ground.
If the bucket/underside is slippery, put another mat there or fold your mat to cover it. If you select the second option, make sure the whole chair is still on the mat.
Hinge at your hips to put your hands on the upper legs of the chair as you put one foot and then the other against the bucket of the seat.
Compress your heels down toward it. (They may not touch fully, but if your heels don’t touch partially, perform one foot at a time or skip this one, as it may be acute for your ankles.)

Variation with one foot on the chair

As you breathe in lengthen your spine, and as you breathe out fold a bit deeper at the hips and flex your elbows for comfort. Hold here for 15-30 seconds. Then, if you select to go deeper, walk your hands lower the legs of the chair.
Continue to walk with your hands lower the chair legs, pausing, breathing, and repeating till you have not reached your edge. When you’ve gone far you can sustainably hold, pause there for up to 2-3 minutes.
To return from the stretch, move your hands back up the chair legs. Gently step away from the chair one foot at a time and come to stand in half standing forward fold. Then gently come up and stand in mountain pose for a minute or longer to notice the connection between your feet and the ground. observe whether you feel a newfound sense of ease and steadiness while standing.

What are the common mistakes to avoid during calf stretch?

There are some mistakes you should avoid while stretching your calf:

• Back to the ground right away: The putting down of the legs should be slow and controlled for the effectiveness to be felt.
• Giving pressure on the arms: There are so many stretches for calf muscles so avoid pressing from the arms as this will give unnecessary strain on your upper body with no benefit.
• Not Keeping Your Back Extended: Try to keep an extended back and not be slumped forward. Use a longer towel, strap, or belt so you don’t have to flex forward to do the stretch in a long sitting position.
• Cold Muscle Stretching: If you are performing this stretch in the morning for plantar fasciitis, you might perform it before you get out of bed to loosen up before standing on the affected foot. But for other utilizations, it is best to warm up your calf muscles with some walking and other exercises before stretching.
• Never bounce during calf stretch, it causes injuries to your muscles.

What are the safety and precautions measures during calf stretch?

There are some safety matters you need to follow :

• If you have any prior injury or chronic pain in your legs, back, or hips, consult with your doctor or physical therapist before starting any exercise program. After an injury, you should not do stretching until you can push your toes down against the ground without feeling pain.
• While stretching, you have to feel the tension in your muscles, but you do not feel any pain. If you feel pain, stop the stretch.
• After an injury, you should not do stretching until you can push your toes down against the ground without feeling pain.
• Don’t perform when you have ankle and foot injuries.

Author: Nitesh Patel - Physiotherapist

Physiotherapist in Samarpan Physiotherapy Clinic Ahmedabad Bapunagar Amaraiwadi Vastral Mobile Physiotherapy Clinic Dr. Nitesh Patel ( Physiotherapist ) : Mo No : 09898607803