A sore knee after a calf workout is not uncommon. The calf muscles connect to the knee joint. The hamstrings and quadriceps also connect to the knee. Together, all of these muscles stabilize the joint. If there is a muscle imbalance in the muscles that support the knee, exercising one can lead to knee pain, as can tension.
Calf Stretching
Your knee pain could be from overdoing your workout. If the calf muscles are not strong enough to handle the amount of stress placed on them, they can tighten up after a workout and pull on the knee joint. Resting and stretching your calves can alleviate tension. Since the pain is in the knee, you will want to do a stretch with the legs straight. Stretching with the knees bent targets the lower portion of the calf near the ankle. To stretch your calves, stand facing a stairway. Hold on to the rail and the wall and step on the first step. Scoot back until your heels hang over the edge. Lower your heels toward the floor until you feel your calves stretching. Hold for 15 seconds and then come back onto the step. Repeat four times.
Calf Imbalance
Since you only have one sore knee, it is also possible that during your workout one calf muscle dominated the other. For example, if your right calf is stronger than your left when doing standard calf exercises such as calf raises, the right calf might be working harder than the left and lifting more of the weight. The right side will become overused and the right knee will hurt, or vice versa. Doing exercises just for the leg that doesn't hurt can correct an imbalance. Perform single-leg calf raises with the leg that doesn't hurt. Stand with the one heel over the edge of the step and the sore knee bent without any weight on it. Rise onto the ball of your foot. Do the same number of repetitions and sets you did for your calf workout. Hold dumbbells in your hands if you need more weight to fatigue the calf.
Weak Quadriceps
If your quad muscles are too weak to adequately support the knee during workouts, you may experience knee pain. Even though you're targeting the calves, the quads still stabilize the joint and assist in some exercises, such as walking lunges that strengthen the calves, thighs and glutes. To isolate the quads and make them stronger gently so as not to overstress the knee, try isometric quadriceps contractions. Lie on your back with your legs straight. Flex the foot of the injured leg to contract the quads. Push against the surface you're lying on. Perform 10 reps with a five-second contraction per rep. You also can work both legs.
Weak Hamstrings
Weak hamstrings can affect knee stability too. You can strengthen the hamstrings isometrically without putting pressure on an injured knee. The hamstring isometric exercise is similar to the exercise for the quads. Sit with your legs straight. Dig into the floor with the heel of the injured leg as if you were going to bend the knee and hold. Perform 10 reps with a five-second contraction per rep. You also can work both legs.
Member Comments