How to stretch your calves

Calf muscle tightness is a major factor in foot health.

The calf is made up of 2 major muscles (the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscle), which attach to the Achilles tendon, which inserts onto the heel bone (calcaneus). Calf muscles generally get tighter and tighter over time, this happens quicker in people who regularly exercise, people who wear heeled shoes, people who are overweight and diabetic patients.

If the calf muscles are tight this pulls up on the heel, which tips the ankle down, pointing the front of the foot and toes into the floor on every single step, every day, week, month, year. This also puts strain on the Achilles tendon (see Achilles tendinopathy page) and plantar fascia (see plantar fasciitis page).

This has a massive effect on your feet and is the root cause of many problems I see in clinic. If you don’t regularly stretch your calf muscles they will tighten up and cause problems.

The best way to combat this is to perform stretches every single day. What’s that you say? You’re “too busy”? Well fear not, I have a solution that will take no extra time out of your day.

The key to sticking to a daily stretching program is to tie in your exercises to something you do every single day. You clean your teeth twice every day for approximately 2 minutes each time. This is the perfect time to stretch your calves as you aren’t doing anything with your legs and it takes no time out of your busy day.

To stretch the calf muscles you have to use your whole body weight to pull on the calf for at least 1 minute at a time. Find a step (the top of the stairs will do), hang on to the railings or bannister with one hand to make sure it’s safe and you won’t fall.

Stand on the edge of the step with your heels hanging off, keep your knees straight and let your heels hang down. Lift one leg so that your whole body weight is hanging through one calf. You should feel a tight stretch in your calf muscles. If it becomes sore, take a short break then try again. You have to do one leg at a time. If this hurts your feet, you can do this wearing shoes.

Doing this twice a day while cleaning your teeth is the absolute minimum. This will remind you that every time you walk up the stairs, it is important to pause for at least 1 minute and stretch one of your calves. It takes 3 – 4 months of daily, regular stretching to lengthen the calf muscles, the more you do the stretches, the quicker it will work.

Doing this every day will prevent (or treat if you already have it) Achilles tendon problems, plantar fasciitis, pain at the front of your feet, plantar plate tears and much more.

Calf Tightness FAQs

Your two calf muscles (the gastrocnemius and soleus) come from the back of your leg and join together at the Achille’s tendon which then attaches to your heel bone (calcaneum). When your calf muscles contract, this pulls up on your heel to lift it off the floor, putting you onto your tip toes. Your calves get tighter over time, especially if you are active and do regular exercise without stretching your calves. Calf tightness causes a significant increase in the forces going through some of the structures in your foot by pulling up on your heel all the time putting stress on your Achille’s tendon and plantar fascia. This tips your weight forwards, adding stress to the ligaments and tendons that support the arch of your foot, the joints in the middle of your foot, your metatarsals and your toes.

Calf tightness presents in many ways and may cause Achille’s tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, flat foot, arthritis, stress fractures, bunions, plantar plate tears and many other issues.

As a foot and ankle specialist I understand the importance of calf tightness and can assess whether this is causing your symptoms. Calf tightness is a big factor in many conditions and stretching your calves is extremely important to treat those associated problems.

Calf stretches must be done several times a day by standing on the edge of a step with the heel hanging off the edge. Put all of your weight through one leg at a time, letting your heel hang down as low as it can go. Your knee must be straight and you should feel a pulling sensation in the calf. You hang in this position for at least 2 minutes at a time, multiple times a day, the more you do it the quicker it will work. If it hurts your feet, you can do it whilst wearing shoes. The best way to do this is to link it with something you do every day, such as cleaning your teeth or every time you walk up the stairs.

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