Why do my calf muscles always feel tight?

Tight calf muscles are pretty common in both sporty and non-sporty people alike. I am frequently asked here at Epoch Health why people’s calves feel so ridiculously tight or sore all the time. So in this blog we are going to discuss some of the main reasons why this happens to people along with 3 Top Tips to help ease calf tightness!

First up, the calf is made up of 2 main muscles: the Gastrocnemius and the Soleus! Together these 2 muscles both produce all the power needed to point your toe downwards and propel you forwards as you walk or run. 

Normally they are a very strong muscle group that can lift you up onto tip toes, therefore for the muscle to tighten it indicates something you are doing is clearly wrong. 

SOME OF THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF TIGHT CALVES:

• Over-doing it!
  Overload is the biggest reason I see in the clinic here for calf tightness. Why… because people always do too much of the 1 thing they enjoy. Overdoing it with minimal recovery will cause tightness to build.

• Not doing any/enough strength training.
  Strength training is so overlooked by people (particularly runners). Sports like running or long distance walking require real stamina so you don’t fatigue too soon. Therefore when a muscle hasn't got the capacity to keep working it tightens up to compensate?

• Flat feet (or a fallen arches).
  The calf muscle helps support the arches up in your feet. If your feet tend to roll inwards (& don’t feel stable) it will pull on the inner calf causing tightness to form. 

• Forefoot gait pattern (i.e. walking or running on tip-toes).

• Flat/minimalist footwear (or being barefoot a lot)
  The slimmer/flatter the shoe, the more it will pull on your achilles and calf, causing tightness to build.

• Lack of body maintenance!
  “A good workman always looks after their tools!” The same goes for our bodies too. Very few people are proactive in looking after their body after sport. Most wait until a problem arises before changing bad habits!

HERE’S 3 SIMPLE TIPS TO HELP TIGHT CALF MUSCLES?

1. Seek professional Chiro advice!
   You should get your issue diagnosed first to work out whats truly causing the calf tightness in the first place. Get to the root cause and not just treat the symptom, otherwise it will just keep coming back time and time again. As part of our chiro assessment process here we can use Video Gait Analysis to help spot problems. 

2. Consider more strength based exercise?
   Think about adding in some weekly strength exercises into your routine, on top of any other sport. Slow heavy weight training is said to be better for soft tissue repair/growth! Bodyweight exercise alone will only get you so far! 

3. Think more about your Recovery?
   Recovery after any physical exercise is important - so give your calves some TLC! Think about: Sports Massage, simple stretches/Yoga, light Foam Rolling, hydration/nutrition and of course get some good quality sleep!

If you are struggling with a calf injury at the moment and would like some help/support then click the button below to get in touch.