Importance of Keeping Your Calves Strong
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- Current biomechanical models suggest that the ankle plantar flexors account for 80% of the energy required for forward progression. Your calf muscles: triceps surae propels you forward.
This muscle group gets weaker as we age ( and who doesn't?). People with underperforming calf muscles demonstrate weaker push-off and rely on hip pull-off.
Training good performance of the calf muscles is not only for the elderly. You may benefit from altering movements during walking if you get tight in the hips due to overusing your hip muscles.
Begin your training of these muscles by clarifying these two types of gait. Walk a few steps with an active push-off and then switch to a hip pull-off gait pattern. Don't only learn it intellectually. Learn by doing.
To train your calves, begin by making 10 steps 2-3 times a day, accentuating push-off. Do it every day for a month and see the results for yourself. Do not be forceful, don't insist. Look for a comfortable way of actively using your feet.
You may want to start by marching in place, alternating lifting of your heels and gently with control bringing them to the ground while weight-bearing. If that's difficult, you can even begin the process in a sitting position.
As you get stronger, it is time to use stairs. Climbing stairs requires good strength of your calf muscles.
Join our brand new, foundational course, "Fabulous Feet & Ankles," and your feet will love you for it!
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#feldenkraismethod #feldenkrais #feldenkraisnyc #gaittraining #walking #health #push-off #foothealth
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After watching your description of knee structure and movement, I began addressing my inner knee discomfort by focusing on heel strike and rolling through my feet as I walk. The effect has been almost immediate as pain is usually eliminated in the complaining right knee. (I spend too much of my day in a sitting position, so the pain returns and must be dealt with again.) I'll begin focusing on calf strengthening as well. Awareness through movement. Thank you for sharing your understanding and expertise with us!
Thank you, Rebecca for sharing your observations. Also, please pay attention to the distance between the knees in sitting and especially as you stand up from sitting position. Ofter, one or both knees tend to shift inward, which causes strain on the inner knee. Compare the pattern of the knee leaning in, with getting up from the chair as the knees remain open (feet width apart). You may find it useful. All my best.
The hip-push-off is seen in persons who are older. I thought it depended on an over all, less movement. As I have done 6 yrs of Feldenkrais, I understand your explanation. Thank you, I will use it too.
Yes, weakness in the calves is very common as we age. Here are two studies you might find interesting:
Winter DA, Patla AE, Frank JS, Walt SE. Biomechanical walking pattern
changes in the fit and healthy elderly. Phys Ther. 1990;70(6):340-347.
Brodsky JW. Preliminary gait analysis results after posterior tibial tendon
reconstruction: a prospective study. Foot Ankle Int. 2004;25(2):96-100.
Excellent! Thank you😊
As I've gotten older I've developed some pain in my calves as I rise from a kneeling position. Eg. working in my garden or getting up from a prone position. Therefore, I've started a program of exercises that include squats and jogging.
Thank you, Terry for your input. Good strength of the hips is very important for proper position of lower leg and foot.
There was a study from 2000, that showed how muscle control of the hip is essential for posture and dynamics of the lower leg. It showed that tibial rotation movement results from a proximal, not a distal, power source during walking. Might be bit technical, but it might explain how you. helped yourself with the exercises.
Bellchamber TL, van den Bogert AJ. Contributions of proximal and distal moments to axial tibial rotation during walking and running. / Biomech. 2000;33(11):1397-1403.
Thank you. As I age, my muscles, especially lower body, have begun to atrophy.
Thank you, Margaret. There is nothing better than exercises, active life-style and learning to stimulate our nervous system - the best anti-aging formula. Cheers!
I know you're not asking for advice, but I notice how your left shoulder is about an inch higher than the right, as is your left iliac crest. This is why your left foot is angled laterally when you walk. This is caused by a misaligned sacroiliac, the right as a PIIN, or the left as an ASIN. SI ligament tenderness with deep pressure will reveal which of the two is the culprit. With the left leg being longer functionally, the medial knee ligaments will stretch, and eventually wear out the meniscus. It can all be avoided by finding someone who can confirm the findings and (gently) adjust the SI (i.e., the "hip). The adjustment shouldn't be painful. Having the pelvis aligned and balanced correctly will smooth out your gait and prevent complications "down the road." This is only being offered with the intention of helping someone who has an appreciation of body mechanics, and is spending their life helping others. And thank you for doing that. Much respect.
Thank you, Roger for your expertise and the comments. The funny thing about these misalignments is that I see them even in the photo when I was about 2-3 years old. Life-long pattern, but still I am always on the look to get better and better. From your perspective, is there a way one would work on himself? How would you approach the problem if you were dealing with it? Cheers, once again thank you for sharing.
@@FeldenkraisNYC I think Alfons's Hip Joints Series 2, Feldenkrais lesson #4 would be helpful. His youtube channel is called Improving Ability. Also Dr. Bri's foot workout for the pelvic floor youtube video. Also, Feldenkrais lessons for improving chest mobility and accessing the middle back/thoracic area. Lastly, something I find helpful is to lie on my back with feet standing and put both hands, palms down, under my pelvis on either side of my sacrum, and breathe for 2-3 few breaths. It opens up my tricky shoulder and evens out my pelvis. It doesn't seem to retrain my movement at all, but it feels great! Now that I think about it, I'm going to do that position first, then do the hip joints lesson. Always a new adventure!
@@FeldenkraisNYC oh, that was fun! On a whim, I decided to add in lifting the opposite shoulder when pressing knee into the floor, and my body kept reverting to homolateral instead of contralateral movement. So I made sure to do contralateral, and something released in my spine. I walked around a bit, then lay down again with feet standing, and my pelvis found a way to realign itself instead of me having to put my hands underneath me. Hooray for exploration and learning! I hope something I've said may be helpful to you.
How do I work out my calves when my calf muscles are so tight all the time; even though I take magnesium and lots of vitamins, and drink lots of water?
We always look for a good balance between length and strength of the muscles. It is possible for the calf muscles to be overworked. They may become short.
Usually, the first question I ask myself is whether the shortness is caused by lack of flexibility or an excessive contraction. If it is lack of extensibility, stretching exercises may help, however if the cause is excessive contraction, stretching will not offer long-term help. In such cases I work with clients to learn how to stop the contraction, how to let go. In terms of cramps, many people benefit from quinine (tonic water contains quinine). I hope this helps.