Calf Muscle Pain Overview

Calf muscle pain is not widely heard by many of us. It may not be taken notice of like other muscle aches or pains. The pain is usually felt when there is tightness and pain at the calf. Mostly this pain is suffered by women who like to wear high heels. You don't want to experience calf muscle cramps because it is extremely painful, and it is usually happens when you are sleeping or resting.

What causes calf muscle pain?

When you have frequent tightness and cramps at your calf muscle, there can be nerve related muscle problems, which stems from spinal nerve root in your lower back. You might still suffer from the cramps even if you don't complain of back ache. The pain may also due to unusual physical activity or wearing footwear which are unsuitable.

The pains described are different from person to person. However, many of them complain of a sharp pain that originates from the lower back and the pain travels downward into the leg through to toes. Therefore one will experience numbness and tingling sensation in the feet.

Calf Muscle Pain Remedy

Before you can resort to any calf muscle pain relief, you have to understand the muscles involved. There are three calf muscles, two inner and outer muscles (gastrocnemius muscle) and the other one is soleus muscle. Gastrocnemius muscles arise from the lower part of the thigh bone, which is above the knee, while soleus muscle arises from the leg bones known as the tibia and fibula bones and does not cross the knee joint. All three muscles insert into the heel bone through the heel cord. Both have their own functions.

The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles are responsible chiefly for bending the ankle and foot down so that the toes can point toward the ground. However when the foot is flat on the ground as in the sitting, crouching or squatting positions, the gastrocnemius muscles can bend the knee but not the soleus. That is why those who have calf muscle pain are unable to stand with their heels flat on the floor.

People with tight calf muscles are unable to walk steady and they prone to fall, since there is difficulty for the heel striking the ground. When we are relax standing, soleus muscle stabilises the leg so that the weight line can fall in front of the knee. However, if you have tight calf muscles, you might have lower back pain, because it increases stress on the low back muscle.

Calf muscle pain remedy includes treating the muscle in front of th leg called the dorsiflexor, muscles of the foot and ankle first before treating the calf muscles. This is because when moving this muscle of the foot and knee, they are prone to lengthening and contractions. Therefore walking on the heels will shortened the contraction.

The treatment must also include treating the root cause of the tightness which is spinal nerve root problems. Yoga is a good exercise to relieve Calf Muscle Pain. It has been shown strengthening the affected muscles. However, it has to be done regularly under the supervision of a qualified yoga instructor.

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