According to a recent study published in Frontiers in Physiology, ankle mobility in runners may be closely tied to the functional ability of nearby muscles, most notably your calf. For the study, researchers decided to look at the ankle stiffness of 40 men between the ages of 20 and 65. They used ultrasound imaging to assess the muscle stiffness in the calf when the ankle joint mas manipulated in a number of different positions.

They uncovered that stiffness in the triceps surae (the muscle group in the calf) had a significant impact on ankle joint mobility, especially during dorsiflexion, which happens when the foot is flexed (toes towards shin). Dorsiflexion is a crucial motion during the running process because it’s the position the foot is in when landing, which sets the tempo for your next stride. Researchers said that limitations with dorsiflexion could increase a person’s injury and fall risk.

Ankle Dorsiflexion Study

Calf muscle stiffness isn’t always a bad thing, as other studies have shown that it can actually be helpful during some actions like sprinting and jumping, but it can cause mobility problems in the ankle, and that can cause issues if you’re regularly landing in dorsiflexion. Experts say that if you’re regularly dealing with ankle instability, recurrent sprains or general ankle pain when running, consider taking a closer look at your calf muscles. Developing a calf strengthening and stretching routine could help tackle these issues by improving ankle mobility.

If you’re still dealing with ankle issues or problems in other lower body joints like your hip or knee even after stretching your calf muscles, it may be time to connect with a foot and ankle specialist or a physical therapist near you to figure out what’s going on with your lower body mechanics. Left untreated, you could be leaving yourself susceptible to a number of different lower body injuries.

The post Calf Stretches May Help Improve Ankle Mobility And Running Ability appeared first on Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon.

Amis noted that a lot of foot and ankle issues can be traced back to equinus-tight calves, but one simple treatment has helped roughly 65 percent of his patients with a related condition avoid surgery over his 30-year surgical career: daily calf stretching.

“Evidence clearly indicates that 95 percent of plantar fasciitis cases can be resolved at the source of the problem,” said Amis. “And the source of the problem is that calves have contracted over the years. Calf contracture is destructive to the human foot and it does not have to be that way. I am telling a completely new and different story here. This is a critical concept.”

Amis said many doctors and surgeons typically focus on fixing the developed problem, but the best surgeons also strive to find the underlying cause and take steps to prevent problems from recurring.

“Tight calves are causing the problems and stretching the calves alleviates the problems,” said Amis “Few of the doctors who agree with my theory believe in calf stretching. They all too often choose to perform surgery to lengthen the calf or Achilles. I choose calf stretching.”

Physical therapy gets closer to addressing the root problem, but patients still spend too much time focusing on their foot condition instead of the root problem which is the calf.

“Physical therapy may do the right things, but patients typically stretch perhaps only 60 seconds a day, three times a week for six weeks. That is not nearly enough time to fully lengthen the calf muscle,” said Amis. “It’s no wonder patients undergoing physical therapy for these problems tend to fail.”

Calf Stretching Basics

Amis said that patients who want to focus on their foot health should make it a point to stretch their calves every day. He recommends stretching the calf muscles for three minutes a session, three times a day, so a total of nine minutes a day, each and every day for the rest of your life.

It may sound like a lot of time, but if you stretch your calves when you get up in the morning and before you go to bed at night, you really only need to carve out three more minutes at some point in your day.

Although Amis doesn’t have any hard evidence that up to 65 percent of foot and ankle problems can be linked to tight calves, previous research has found a correlation between tight calves and Achilles tendon tightness and plantar fasciitis. Calf stretching has benefits for patients with either of those conditions, so while you may not have those problems right now, you can keep those conditions at bay by stretching your calves for nine minutes a day!

“Patients come to me and say they have tried everything: physical therapy, orthotics, rest, immobilization, injections, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines—even acupuncture,” he says. “And they are right. But they have not tried the one thing most likely to help: calf stretching.

The post Regular Calf Stretching Could Prevent The Need For Foot Surgery appeared first on Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon.