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Chronically Tight Calf Muscle: Scientific Treatment


Science chiropractor, Dr. Alexander Jimenez investigates the methods described in treating a tight calf muscle.

Assess The Calf Complex

In the calf complex, the medial sural nerve descends between the two gastrocnemius heads and also at mid-calf level combines with a branch of the peroneal nerve to form the sural nerve(1,2). As we get older, the body's connective tissue gets less pliable. Nerves are naturally surrounded by connective tissues -- sometimes they even run through connective tissues, so with aging the nerves can get trapped, trapped or tethered to surrounding muscle or fascia(3).

This can manifest as a feeling of tightness deep in the calf muscle that never changes, no matter how much the customer stretches the muscles.

Action! Evaluate The Calf

The perfect method to appraise the calf is to palpate the muscle in a relaxed position (see Fig 1. below). Begin with your patient's unaffected calf; palpate (feel) deeply between the gastroc heads supporting the knee and work down the calf into the Achilles tendon. This will give you a sensation of the deep neuro-myofascial tissue enclosing the tibial nerve, and what 'normal' feels like in this patient. Beware: it's generally quite uncomfortable to do so because of the sensitive neural structures.


Then feel the affected calf in the exact same way. If there is a difference in the deep center section (eg tightness, pain, lumpiness) and if, when you press, then it replicates their usual 'pain' or 'tightness', it might indicate a nerve tethering problem that needs hands-on intervention.

Assess the nerves of the lower limb by using the slump test (see Fig 2, below) or the straight leg raise test to cross-check your client's neural system and compare sides.

Treat The Neural Calf Complex

Once you've found something asymmetrical, you can treat the problem.

Warning: this therapy could be painful, but in my experience you need to treat very firmly to get results. Warn your patient.

Action! -- Friction The Deep Structures

In the exact same position (see Fig 3, below), ensure finger tips are together and palpating right on the tight, painful area. With firm pressure, friction across the line of the nerve with your finger tips going into the left with both hands and then to the right (firm treatment is essential).


Repeat this along the length of the tibial nerve down the area where the patient has identified a difference in the feel compared to the other side. After you have loosened the neuro-myo-fascial constructions, get your client to walk or jog to see how it feels.

Action! Educate Your Client To Self-Treat

Sitting with knees bent, they should use their thumbs to palpate; ensure they can replicate the sensation you produced with your treatment. This way, your active patient can make chronically tight and painful calves a thing of the past.

Sourced From:

Mark Alexander was sports physiotherapist to the 2008 Olympic Australian triathlon team, is lecturer and coordinator of the Master of sports physiotherapy degree at Latrobe University (Melbourne) and managing director of BakBalls (www.bakballs.com).

Scott Smith is an Australian physiotherapist. He works at Albany Creek Sports Injury Clinic in Brisbane, specialising in running and golf injuries. He is currently working with Australian Rules football teams in Brisbane.

Sean Fyfe is the strength and conditioning coach and assistant tennis coach for the Tennis Australia National High Performance Academy based in Brisbane. He also operates his own sports physiotherapy clinic.

Mark Palmer is a New Zealand-trained physiotherapist who has been working in English football for the past five years. He has spent the past three seasons as head physiotherapist at Sheffield Wednesday FC.

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Professional Scope of Practice * The information on this blog site is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional. Blog Information & Scope Discussions Welcome to El Paso's Premier Wellness and Injury Care Clinic & wellness blog, where Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, FNP-C, a board-certified Family Practice Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC) and Chiropractor (DC), presents insights on how our team is dedicated to holistic healing and personalized care. Our practice aligns with evidence-based treatment protocols inspired by integrative medicine principles, similar to those found on dralexjimenez.com, focusing on restoring health naturally for patients of all ages. Our areas of chiropractic practice include Wellness and nutrition, Chronic Pain, Personal Injury, Auto Accident Care, Work Injuries, Back Injury, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, Migraine Headaches, Sports Injuries, severe sciatica, Scoliosis, Complex Herniated Discs, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain, Complex Injuries, Stress Management, Functional Medicine Treatments, and in-scope care protocols. Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicine, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research studies or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies that are available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how they may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to discuss the subject matter above further, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC, or contact us at 915-850-0900. We are here to help you and your family. Blessings Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, APRN, FNP-BC*, CCST, IFMCP*, CFMP*, ATN* email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico* Texas DC License # TX5807 New Mexico DC License # NM-DC2182 Licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN*) in Texas & Multistate  Texas RN License # 1191402  Compact Status: Multi-State License: Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP*, IFMCP*, ATN*, CCST