Not Just Achilles’ Weakness…
Healing your heels goes beyond treating your feet!
Did you know that your Achilles tendon is the longest tendon in your body? If it gets irritated, it can cause achilles tendonitis, or an aching pain that runs down the back of the calf and into the heel. Achilles tendonitis can sometimes be correlated to tight calf muscles, either from overuse or underuse (jeez, where’s my happy medium?).
Any movement that puts the ankle into dorsiflexion (think stretching your toes to your shin) will lengthen and stretch your calf muscle and Achilles tendon, which in turn will help stave off irritation in that region. Some easy and effective stretches (that you’ve probably heard of!) are:
Seated calf stretch: while seated with your legs straight in front of you, pull the toes back towards the shin. If you can’t reach your toes from that position, you can always use a band or rope looped around the ball of the foot to help pull your toes toward you.
Heel drops: stand with your toes on a step or short ledge and your heels hanging off the ledge, drop your heels to lengthen your calf. The lower your drop your heels, the deeper the stretch will be, so you are in complete control of the deepness of your stretch! Make sure to hold a handrail, the wall, or something else stable to help you maintain your balance.
Downward dog pose: starting on the ground on your hands and knees, push up onto the balls of your feet so you are on your hands and feet, butt and hamstrings stretching to the sky. If your hands and feet are too close to each other, you may need to adjust by walking your feet closer or farther to your hands, whatever feels comfortable. Once you are set up, try alternating pressing your heels to the ground - try to get them flat! If you can’t, that’s totally okay - you should feel a deep stretch down the backs of your legs to your heels. Play around with your downward dog setup to deepen or relax the stretch - find what works best for you! (still unsure how to set up downward dog? try this reference video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqOqM79McYY )
It’s important to remember that with any stretch, some discomfort is normal, but pain is not! Be sure to ease into each stretch and hold for 30-60 seconds per side.
A light warmup of stretching and priming the calves at the start of a tennis match or at the end of a long walk can go a long way to keeping your calves and feet happy. Keep your calves healthy, and you’ll be able to keep up the hot girl walks during this hot summer!
If you need a more hands-on remedy, call or visit our website to schedule an appointment!
