The Calves Gastrocnemius and Soleus muscles. So small yet sooo painful!

This is a short overview of some self-help calf maintenance because anyone who is in any way serious about endurance training will invariably have tight calves, which you may not be aware of until some therapist starts poking around down there! Note: before we start please be aware that this is not a diagnostic (there are physios like Gary at Prophysio out there for that); nor is it aimed at fixing any underlying causal factors (again, youve got Gary for that & of course none of you are going to stop doing the primary causal factor which is your training!!!!). This is simply a suggested self help maintenance routine to reduce symptoms of overuse & increase recovery from training.

Why bother freeing them up if you cant feel it?

There are two main reasons why calf maintenance should be one of your priority areas: 1. They will negatively effect your ability to deliver your best performance because your body must compensate for those areas of tightness in your calves which are, in short, not working (because theyre all knotted and in spasm) 2. Long term theyll get worse. If youre lucky youll end up with a calf strain, if not its hello to tendonitis and the living hell of trying to rehabilitate those pesky tendons. You could pull a hamstring, develop sciatica, lumbar or any number of other injuries seemingly unrelated to those grumbling tight calves! The impact of continuing to get out there and train, day after day and week after week as your body compensates for areas of weakness can be profound and may be reflected in injuries seen anywhere from your little toe to the top of your head you have been warned! The principle aim of this maintenance protocol is to help to release these spasms & especially any that occur in the Soleus and Gastrocnemius (the 2 principle calf muscles in the lower leg as these chill out then so to should any over-worked ancillary muscles like the Peroneals (thats the theory anyway). The suggested interventions are: 1. General Maintenance: after each (running or cycling) training session1. A GENTLE calf stretch 2. Trigger point release (see below) 3. Deeper calf stretch

4. Shower & calf massage1 5. Apply Tubigrip or compression socks 2. If calves are giving particular concern: If the calves are sore during training or you are particularly worried about them add the following protocol: lie down with your calves on a bag of ice cubes for about 10 minutes. Then at some point within the next 24 hours do the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Ice for 10 mins Hot water bottle for 10mins Ice for 10mins Apply analgesic cream (e.g algesal) Wear Tubigrip or compression socks during the day2

Addendum: Trigger Point Release This is a particularly important part of the maintenance protocol because if the Soleus and/or Gastrocnemius is in spasm it will make no difference how much you stretch it simply wont stretch out. The body will have switched on its automatic self-help system which although useful for acute injuries is rather less so for chronic overuse conditions. Especially when the athlete returns to training before the body switches off that self help system (i.e. the next day for most of us). And thinking its ok, Im not running today Im only doing a gentle bike is all part of the problem that can keep the issue alive and kicking throughout both the competitive and off-seasons. Trigger point release is akin to a manual override of the bodys self-help response, it is one of the main tools that a (decent) massage therapist has in helping clients recover from injury, stress and strain. Fortunately it is also fairly easy to reach the trigger points in our calf although it may not necessarily be pleasant. The trigger point release involves sitting down with the calf that you are working on resting on your knee cap (sort of cross legged). You can then pull your calf onto the knee and move it around until you find an area of distinct pain. Unfortunately thats what were looking for, painful areas in the belly of the calf muscles. When you find one apply deeper pressure (no need to be a hero) and hold until one or both of 2 things happen: 1. the pain fades to a sensation of pressure 2. you actively feel the tissues relax (unlikely in the calves but you may be the first!)
1

NOTE: massage is simply some deep strokes through the belly of your calf muscles with your thumb youre encouraging blood flow and lymphatic drainage here, there is no need to try to stick your thumb through the muscle and into the bone.
2

Some people wear their tubigrips over-night however I cant tell you to do that because there is a risk of DVT and nobody wants one of those.

Then go looking for the next trigger point and repeat ad nauseum for 5-10 minutes. At the end of this you can conclude with some deep strokes with your knee through the calf, focusing on the outside, middle and inside of the calf muscles. The images show you where to find some common Soleus & Gastrocnemius trigger points with their referral patterns to get you started, but you will find others Im sure Happy and healthy training!

Soleus

Gastrocnemius