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The calf muscle pump and aching legsMichael Gillan Ultra Marathon Recovery SpecialistCopyright 2008 Michael Gillan
 
http://www.aching-legs.org 1
Aching LegsRecovery Fatigued Leg recovery using anenvironmentally friendly recoverysystem
Aching legs are easy to develop and unless they have a medical contribution to them (and thereare many medical reasons so they should be investigated by a medical professional) they canbe relatively easy to relieveIf they are put in a position where they constantly ache, they can actually be the cause of medical problems (seewww.hazards.org/standing)  When you are on your feet all day the calf muscles start to fatigue, power stops being suppliedto the pump and the blood just pools around the ankles-the water (or lymph fluid) separatesfrom it and migrates into the tissues in and around the anklesAs it is not being pumped away fast enough from the lower legs, the ankles swell and if itwasn’t for the ends of the toes it would all flow out of the body all over the ground
The Calf Muscle Pump
The calf muscle pump is a major part of circulation in the lower legsAll the fluids in the body gravitate down towards the lowest part of the body; the feet-gravityholds it there and prevents it from going back up to the body for recycling and recirculation asfresh bloodThe calf muscles are the motors for a pump called the
calf muscle pump
that forces usedblood against gravity through one-way valves in the veins back up the body, but to provide thepower for this they need to be moving-it they don’t, they can’t contribute to circulation-so usedblood stays in the ankles and feetBecause the muscle tissues are not being refreshed with supplies of fresh blood, the musclesfatigue and they ache with the legs increasing in weight as the fluid builds up-they are heavy tocarry around
AchingLeg Relief
The relief of aching legs can be approached in different ways and the decision of which way togo is dependent on a number of factors-the biggest one being what other commitments youhave in your life at that present time and the time you have to commit to itThere is the
passive
way for those with time to spare and the
active
way for those without
 
The calf muscle pump and aching legsMichael Gillan Ultra Marathon Recovery SpecialistCopyright 2008 Michael Gillan
 
http://www.aching-legs.org 2
PassiveRelief 
The
‘passive’
option is the most recommended way to relieve aching legsFind a quiet area and lie down with the legs elevated to let the fluid flow back 
(Been there-done that-didn’t seem to work too well-I was stiff when I stood upand went light headed)
If you are like the ultra marathon runners and walkers and do not have time to wait forpassive recovery to work at relieving those aching legs theactiveoption is better
These are 2 people who have just been running for 3 days around a running track in allweathers and they have aching legsThey suffer from sore feet, sore legs, swollen ankles, stiffness, wasted muscles, muscle cramps,tiredness, mental fatigue, restless legs, sore skin, night pains, muscle spasm, muscle wastage,swollen ankles, hyperthermia, hypothermia, temper tantrums, vomiting, food sensitivity,allergies, rashes, loss of judgement-and that is the good part
Aching legs fatigued muscles and recovery
Someone with aching legs and ultra marathoners both have the same thing in common-how torecover from their aching legs and fatigued muscles quickly, and the quickest most effectiveway of doing this is simply to work the calf muscle pump so that the output of used blood andthe input of fresh blood is increasedTo stop the muscles fatiguing, fresh oxygen and nutrient filled blood has to keep beingsupplied to the muscles-but when the muscles are fatigued they can’t work at facilitating orsupplying their own needs
 
The calf muscle pump and aching legsMichael Gillan Ultra Marathon Recovery SpecialistCopyright 2008 Michael Gillan
 
http://www.aching-legs.org 3
There are 2 main ways of relieving them of soreness-passiveandactive 
This is the
passive
way-waiting for the legs to recover themselvesBelow is the pro-active result sheet from a 6 day event using Light Manual Muscle RelaxationUsing an
environmentally friendly
 
pro-active
leg recovery system is easier than you thinkwhen you learn how to use the muscles to work on them selvesBut an especially good way to recover from aching legs is to simply work the calf musclepump by hand to break the cycle of inactivity caused through muscle fatigue and get rid ofsome of the depleted fluid so that fresh blood can enter the muscle tissues
The secret to leg recoveryThe calf muscle pump
The calf muscles act as the motor for a pump to take it from the feet back to the body againstgravity through the venous system where it is re-nourished and recirculated-but to be workingthey have to move.Look at the photo above-how many towels and bottles of oil do you see?None because the latest in
non-polluting
, non-technical method of leg recovery techniques isbeing used
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