The soleus and gastrocnemius are two of the muscles in your calves and are heavily involved in many of the exercises you perform each day. An adequate fitness program will incorporate stretching because it increases flexibility, improves...
Jogging calls heavily upon the muscles of your legs. Your calf muscles and ankles need daily stretching to avoid pain and injury from jogging. At the end of your workout when your muscles are pliable, spend time performing ankle and calf...
Heel stretches are exercises that lengthen the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia on the bottom of the foot. The calf muscles attach to the Achilles tendon so heel stretches are actually calf stretches that combat heel pain by lengthening the heel...
Your calves are made up of two muscles, the gastrocnemius and the soleus. Your gastrocnemius muscle, the bigger of the two, runs from your thigh bone to your Achilles tendon. Your soleus muscle, which lies beneath the gastrocnemius, runs from your...
Stretching your knee may prevent injuries as well as reduce pain and inflammation, states the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Using a gentle, steady technique rather than bouncing is most effective and will help you avoid muscle pulls....
Shin splints refer to a condition known medically as medial tibial stress syndrome. Two bones in the lower leg are affected by pain: the tibia and fibula. The tibia is on the inside of the lower leg and the fibula is on the outside. When the large...
Pain in the arch of your foot can keep you from exercising and even affect your ability to walk normally throughout the day. Your doctor will be able to give you a proper diagnosis and treatment program, depending upon the cause. But most cases of...
Two major calf muscles power and absorb the shock of every step you take. The obvious two-headed gastrocnemius -- with two attachment points at the top of the muscle instead of just one attachment at the bottom of the muscle -- gives your calf its...
A broken foot is a common injury, typically caused by a car crash, direct impact or falling. Stress fractures are small cracks that occur in the foot and are commonly characterized as repetitive force or overuse injuries. The first step in the...
Your calf is actually a combination of strong muscles and tendons. The gastrocnemius muscle runs from the back of your knee to the back of your heel and is divided into the lateral and medial heads. The soleus muscle attaches to the back of your...
Ankle dorsiflexion refers to the degree to which you are able to point your toe upward toward the knee. Proper dorsiflexion is needed to regulate your walking and running stride, as well as permit a number of weight-lifting movements. Ankle...
Your Achilles tendon runs along the back of your ankle, connecting your calf muscles to your heel. An injury to this tendon can be excruciating and make working out problematic. With a little forethought, however, you can craft a workout that will...
Your gastrocnemius and soleus are two muscles that make up your calf, which is located on the back of your lower leg. Calf muscles are prone to tightness, which can make playing sports or even walking painful. Stretching your gastocnemius and...
Whether you walk, bicycle, swim or play basketball, your calf muscles play a huge role in almost any physical activity involving your legs. When you're strength training your upper body, your calves help stabilize your body in every standing...
Calves are the muscles at the backs of the lower legs and consist of two separate muscles called the soleus and gastrocnemius. The calf muscles are used extensively in everyday life and in most sports. Tight calves are a common occurrence and may...
Stretching increases your flexibility, improves your range of motion and can even prevent injuries. Whether your chosen mode of exercise is a taxing leg workout such as running or your everyday activities include several trips up and down the...
Stretching is essential for your body's health. It improves flexibility, increases range of motion, and can even prevent injury. By stretching the muscles in the eight major areas of your body, you can get an all-over body stretch that will keep...
An Achilles tendon rupture or tear is a severe injury to the tendon that is at the back of your lower leg. The Achilles tendon is a strong, fibrous cord that connects the muscles in the back of the calf to your heel bone. Overstretching the...
Devices to stretch your calves vary from easily transported, rolling objects to fixed items. You'll most often see these devices in a gym setting or a physical or sports therapy practice. Some of devices are expensive, but many are cheap, easy to...
Basically any exercise that incorporates your legs puts wear and tear on your soleus muscles. Even many everyday activities, such as simply walking or climbing a flight of stairs, will put your soleus muscles to work. To achieve a deep stretch of...
Pain in the back of your ankle may be from injury to or tightness in your Achilles tendon. Stretching the muscles of your calf is a good way to address this condition. By loosening up the tendon and the muscles surrounding it, you can reduce the...
Stretching both the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles when recovering from a calf muscle strain is necessary, as either muscle can be become strained or injured. You can use active stretching ti apply a gentle stretch to the muscle when injury...
Although any two fitness experts are unlikely to agree on exactly how and when you should stretch, there’s a general consensus that flexibility training is important for proper body mechanics and injury prevention. The American Council on...
Nagging pain above your heel could be a result of Achilles tendonitis. Since your Achilles tendon bears the heavy load of many times your entire body weight, it is prone to injury and overuse syndromes. Often Achilles tendonitis can be managed...
Your calf muscles are made up of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, which attach to your heel bone via the Achilles tendon. Calf muscles are prone to tightness, because we spend much of our lives in a seated position, with our legs bent and...
Use the stairs in your home or in your office building to stay fit and tone your legs. Keep muscle and skeletal body balance by including stair exercises that target your major leg muscles: your quadriceps, biceps femoris or hamstrings, and...
Some may refer to the calves as one muscle group, but there are actually two parts to them. The upper segment is known as the gastrocnemius and it has a medial and lateral head. Medial means toward the midline of the body and lateral means toward...
Before jogging you need to do a thorough warmup that consists of two different kinds of stretching exercises. Start your warmup with five to 10 minutes of cardiovascular activity, such as marching in place, to get blood pumping to your muscles....
Shin splints is the common name for a medical condition known as medial tibial stress syndrome. The painful condition generally strikes runners who put an overload on the shinbone and tissues that connect the muscles to the bone. Victims feel pain...
Warm up with gastric stretch exercises. Learn how to do gastric stretch exercises in this stretching and flexibility video.
Stretch blocks, or stretching slant boards are used to restore normal flexibility. Learn how to use stretch blocks in this health video.
The calf stretch is great for the lower leg. Learn how to do the calf stretch with a partner in this fitness video.
