3206 Stretches for tight gastrocnemius muscles
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Hello.
Your podiatrist has examined
you and has found that one
of the muscles in your calf is tight.
The muscle is called the gastrocnemius.
We think that this tightness may be contributing to your foot, ankle
or lower limb pain or discomfort.
In this video we will show you
some exercises to stretch
the gastrocnemius in
one or both of your legs.
The gastrocnemius is
a muscle in your calf.
It helps to point your foot towards the floor and propel you forward
when you run, walk or jump.
Find a flat wall with plenty of
floor space in front of it.
Face the wall, and stand
roughly one foot away
with your toes pointing
towards the wall.
Place the palms of your
hands flat against the wall,
at approximately shoulder
height and shoulder width apart.
Now move one leg backwards,
keeping your toes
pointing towards the wall.
Slowly lean in towards the wall, bending the knee closest to the wall
and keeping the back leg straight.
Both heels should be on
the ground at all times.
As you lean forwards you will start to feel a tightness in the straight leg.
Hold the stretch for
thirty seconds before
slowly returning to an
upright position.
If you don’t feel a tightness in
your leg as you lean forwards,
you may not have moved
your leg back far enough.
Reposition and try again.
It is very important not to
bounce towards the wall
to increase the stretch as
this may cause an injury.
Repeat the stretch on your other leg, and then on both legs again.
You should do this three times a day.
If you find the exercise
painful, you should stop,
and if you have any questions, please speak to your podiatrist.