Do You Suffer from Tight Calves?
Tight calves and shin splints can be very frustrating for active people. It is a problem I see a lot of in my chiropractic clinic. I often see patients who have chronically tight calves and calf muscles that will frequently tear with exercise. These patients have often tried everything to get their claves to release including massage and endless hours of foam rolling but very often to no avail.
What Causes Tight Calves?
So why do some people end up with calves that are chronically tight? The reason usually lies in a lack of stability in the bigger stabilising muscles like the core, glutes or hamstrings with the calves acting as a compensator. What I mean by this is if someone has got a weak core, when they start running or exercising their brain thinks that the body isn’t stable and strong enough to be performing those movements and will start to instruct other muscles to work extra hard to help the core out. And when those muscles happen to be the calves, you will end up with chronically tight calves that are having to do the work of much larger core muscles. This causes the calves to get chronically tight and extremely difficult to release. It is actually a very smart strategy of the body, although deeply frustrating for anyone who happens to suffer from this sort of imbalance.
What Can You Do About Tight Calves?
If this is the cause of your really tight calves, the corrective strategy needs to change from solely foam rolling/trigger pointing/massaging the calves to also including core and glute strengthening work. Until the core or glutes/hamstrings are working correctly the calves will continue to tighten up to help those larger muscles out.
Get Treatment for Your Tight Calves
If this sounds like a problem you have I would love to help you out. I perform muscle testing on all of my new patients to check which muscles are firing or not firing correctly and can identify which muscles your calves are compensating for. You can book online to make a booking at my Brisbane Chiropractic Clinic.
