If you suffer from pain in your heel area, stretching is one of the most important things you can do. The more positions you use to stretch your heel cord and calves, the more flexible they will become and the more relief you will feel. Never stretch to the point of pain, and hold all stretches for 30 seconds, repeating each one three times on each leg.
Anatomy
Your heel cord, or Achilles tendon, is the thick tendon that runs along the backside of your ankle. It connects your heel bone to your calf muscles and is your body's strongest tendon. Both your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles attach to your Achilles tendon. Your gastrocnemius muscle is your larger calf muscle. It connects above your knee to your femur. Your soleus is smaller and lies underneath your gastrocnemius. Because it connects beneath your knee to your tibia, you stretch it with a bent-knee position.
Standing
To stretch your heel cords and calf muscles in a standing position, face a wall with both hands on the wall. Extend one leg behind you with your toe pointing to the wall and your heel pressed into the ground. To stretch your gastrocnemius, keep your back knee straight as you lean toward the wall. To isolate your soleus, use the same position but bend your back knee. Both of these stretches will incorporate your heel cord.
Seated
Another way to stretch this area is in a seated position. A towel can be helpful for these stretches. Sit on the ground with one leg extended straight in front of you and the other leg bent, with its foot resting gently against your extended leg. Loop a towel around the ball of the foot of your extended leg as you begin to flex your foot toward your body. Use the towel to pull your foot toward your body. Keep your knee straight to stretch your gastrocnemius, and bend it to stretch your soleus.
Lying
You can also stretch your calves and heel cords while lying on the ground. Use your towel again. Lie flat on your back with one leg bent and its foot on the ground. Place your towel around the ball of your other foot and extend that leg up in the air, pointing toward the ceiling. Pull your foot toward your body by pulling on the towel. Again a straight leg will stretch your gastrocnemius and your heel cord, while a bent leg will stretch your soleus and your heel cord.
References
- Hughston Clinic: Taking Care of Heel Pain
- American Council on Exercise: Standing Dorsi-flexion (Calf Stretch)
- Sportsinjuryclinic.net: Gastrocnemius Stretch
- American Council on Exercise: Seated Calf Stretch
- Bodybuilding.com: Stretching Guides — Supine Calf Stretch
- Sportsinjuryclinic.net: Stretching Exercises
- "Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy"; Functional Anatomy of the Achilles Tendon; M.N. Doral, et al; May 2010
- Sportsinjuryclinic.net: Gastrocnemius
- Sportsinjuryclinic.net: Soleus
