The following guidelines are for information purposes only. We recommend seeking professional advice before attempting any self treatment.
Foot circles
- Circle the foot around 10 to 20 times in each direction.
- Aim for as big a movement as possible.
- Do the same number of repetitions on each foot.
- If this is painful then begin with simply bending the foot upwards and downwards (plantar flexion and dorsi flexion) as well as inwards and outwards (inversion and eversion).
Stretching
The image opposite shows how to test to see if the muscles are too tight. By gently pushing on the toes, the foot should go to 90 degrees without having to force it or apply great pressure. If the foot does not go to 90 degrees this indicates excess tension in the muscles.
There are two stretches for the back of the lower leg that are important. One with the leg kept straight which stretches the Gastrocnemius muscle. This muscle starts above the knee and enters the back of the heel via the achilles tendon. The other is the Soleus which starts below the knee. By bending the knee we relax the Gastrocnemius muscle, so allowing the Soleus to take the stretch.
Gastrocnemius stretch
Keep the heel of the back leg on the ground and gently push forward. This will stretch the larger Gastrocnemius muscle which attaches above the knee. You should hold this stretch for at least 10 seconds and repeat 3 times. This set of stretching can be done three times a day - more as long as it does not hurt.
Soleus muscle stretch
By bending the knee, the Gastrocnemius muscle is taken out of the stretch allowing the Soleus muscle to be stretched further down the leg. If it hurts, do not do it. You should hold this stretch for at least 10 seconds and repeat 3 times. This set of stretching can be done three times a day - more as long as it does not hurt.
Front of the leg stretch
Kneel down and site on your heels. Gently push down on the heels to stretch the front of the leg. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and repeat 5 times.
This stretch can be increased by stretching one leg at a time (bottom image) and gently pulling the knee up.
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