You use muscles in your feet and calves all the time in daily life, whether you're consciously aware of it or not. Your feet and calves help support your body during activities like standing, walking and climbing stairs and can become even more strained during physical activity and exercise. If you develop muscles aches in your feet and calves, certain stretching exercises may help alleviate your symptoms. If the aches persist or worsen, consult your doctor.
Causes
Muscles aches in your foot and calf can have a number of possible causes, including exercise, nocturnal leg cramps and tight contractions in your muscles known as mysofascial trigger points. When the cause is exercise, it could be that you haven't warmed up or stretched your muscles properly before and after your workout. Nocturnal leg cramps cause painful, intense contractions of your calf and feet muscles at night, Dr. Max Hirshkowitz and Patricia Smith write for Dummies.com, noting that researchers are still unsure of the cause. Meanwhile, trigger points --- tiny, contractions that occur along the length of your muscles --- can cause intense pain. If you have a trigger point in your foot, you may feel referred pain in your calf muscle, Drs. Janet Travell and David Simons write in their book, "Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual."
Prevention
You might be able to prevent aching muscles in your calves and feet by properly stretching your muscles on a regular basis. If you are an athlete, it's important to stretch both prior to and after your workout. Focus on stretching both your calves and the soles of your feet. Nocturnal leg cramps may also be prevented by performing simple calf stretches prior to going to bed. According to Travell and Simons, pain caused by trigger points can be prevented by performing specific stretching exercises that lengthen, strengthen and condition your muscles.
Benefits of Stretching Exercises
Stretching your calves and feet is an important part of alleviating your aches and pains. Stretching exercises focus on lengthening tight muscles and can reduce muscle knots and tension that may be causing your symptoms. Stretching exercises also help increase circulation in your legs and feet, which can help reduce the aches in your muscles.
Calf and Foot Stretches
You can perform a basic calf stretch by standing about 3 feet from a wall. Place your palms flat on the wall with your arms straight at shoulder height. Step forward with your right leg and bend your knee, making a right angle with the floor. Press your left heel into the floor, keeping the leg straight. You should feel a stretch in the calf muscles of your left leg. Repeat the stretch on your right leg. To perform a combined calf-and-foo-muscle stretch, stand on the bottom step of a flight of stairs. Allow your heels to hang over the edge of the stairs and press your body weight into your heels. This stretch focuses on both your calves and foot muscles.
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