Calf muscle tightness is a condition in which the muscles of the calf are tight and difficult to move. It may also be called muscle spasms, muscle stiffness, or muscle rigidity. The cause is not always clear, but it can be triggered by injury, overuse, or a medical condition such as diabetes or arthritis.
Calf muscle tightness is most commonly caused by a muscle strain, which is an injury to the muscle itself. A muscle strain can be caused by overusing a muscle, such as when running too much or too far, or by doing a new activity that causes the muscles to be stressed in new ways, such as when running uphill.
It can also be caused by lying in the same position for a long time, as in the case of astronauts in space.
Calf muscles located mainly Back side of the lower leg mainly Gastrocnemius and Soleus muscle.
What causes calf muscle tightness?
Following are the most common causes of Calf muscle tightness , However it may vary person to person.
- Sedentary Lifestyle such as office workers
- Paralysis or related Disease such as Stroke
- Diabetes
- Injury to calf muscle where Rest is required for recovery at that time muscle become tight.
- Overuse of Calf muscles eg. if you walking for long duration your calf muscles become fatigue causes pain.
- High hill sandals reduced stress on calf but overall lost it muscle length if you use for prolonged period.
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Calf muscle strains
- Muscle cramps
- Dehydration
- Post fracture long immobilization may lead to muscle tightness.
Sedantary Lifestyle :
if you doing job in office where you have to sit for long period of time where mostly computer or other office related work in which ankle movement are very limited, may lead to gradually muscle become lost it's eleasticity property and become tightness, office workers require have require regular stretching and strengthening exercise of not only calf muscles but regular workout of whole body to maintain fitness. Sedantary lifestyle is the most common cause of calf muscle tightness.
Paralysis :
If you have paralysis related any disease in which calf muscle become weak, you also have increase risk of gradually become tight and rigid if you do not perform regular ankle movements.
Diabetes :
Diabetes makes you Physically weak and you are easily become tired in day to day activity , this may lead to reduce your activity and overall your calf and other muscles become tight.
Calf muscle Injury :
If you have any injury near to calf muscles, This may require rest for few days for recovery, This may also cause an side effects of calf muscle tightness.
Muscle cramps :
Muscle cramps are most common cause of tightness in athletes who are performing activity without proper warm-up or stretching, This may lead to pain and muscle spasm.
How to treat tight calf muscles?
If you want to remove your calf muscle tightness, stretching exercise at regular intervals with mix of strengthening exercise is the best option for you.
Here we update few easy to perform Home exercise you can try.
Towel Calf Stretching exercise :
To do This exercise, you can use towel or related any object to stretch your calf muscles.
Take a Long Sitting position on the soft mat with both legs Keep straight out in front at the Hip level.
Arc the hand towel around the ball of one foot, and Hold both ends of the towel firmly.
Make sure that the Both legs straight, pull the towel toward the body, and hold the position for 10-15 seconds. Then, relax for 10 seconds.
Repeat the stretch 4 to 5 times, then do the same on the opposite Leg.
Heel Drop Stretch :
To perform this stretch, You will need a step, a box, or the edge of a treadmill.
You should Stand with the balls of the feet on the edge of the step.
Gradually Drop one heel toward the floor, Flex the other leg and try not to put much weight into it. Repeat on the opposite side.
To make this a dynamic stretch and strength exercise, you can slowly pedal the heels back and forth, or drop both heels toward the ground and raise them up and down.
Lunging Calf Stretching Exercise :
This simple and easy to perform exercise you can do at Home in the early morning helps to relive your calf tightness.
You should Stand facing a couple of feet away from a wall. If wall is not near then one can also just do this with your hands on the hips or on the wall if you have Balance problem.
Place the hands on the wall for support and step one foot back into mini lunge, bending the front leg gradually and keeping your back leg straight.
Lean into the wall and press the back heel down so it’s flat on the ground. The further apart the feet are, the higher the stretch will be feel.
Repeat on the opposite leg.
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