Thursday, April 25, 2024

How To Massage Calf Muscles

Treating Grade Iii Calf Strains

How to Use a Massage Gun On Calf Muscle Pain
  • 1Seek medical attention immediately. A Grade III strain is a complete rupture of the muscle body or tendon. It involves significant pain , immediately severe inflammation and bruising, muscle spasms and sometimes an audible “pop” as the muscle is severed. There is also a palpable bulging defect in the calf as the larger severed portion strongly contracts. An inability to walk is characteristic of a Grade III calf strain, so assistance is usually needed to get to a hospital or clinic. The muscle fibers cannot reattach on their own, even with the help of scar tissue, so emergency intervention is required.XResearch source
  • A sudden tendon rupture is often excruciating and feels like someone has shot you from behind or struck you with something sharp.
  • A severely strained calf will likely cause bruising, which will settle into your foot and turn it black and blue.
  • 2Get surgical repairs. Grade III strains may require surgery to repair and reattach the damaged calf muscle and/or tendon. Time is of the essence because the longer a muscle is ruptured and severely contracted, the more difficult it is to stretch out and achieve normal muscle tone. Furthermore, internal bleeding can cause local necrosis and possibly even lead to anemia from blood loss. Ruptures within the belly of a muscle heal quicker because of the better blood supply, whereas tendon ruptures don’t receive as much blood and take longer to heal. Revert to the R.I.C.E. protocol following surgery.
  • Are Calf Massages Safe

    Calf massage is safe for everybody except some other people. If you have the following problems, you should not massage your calf muscle when you feel pain. Instead of massage, you can use Flamingo Calf Support, which is the best alternative to deep tissue massage.

    For people who have diabetes and are more than 50 years old, calf massage is not safe for them. Besides, those who have a deficiency in the lower part of the leg are also discouraged from using this messenger type.

    Calf Massage is also harmful to people who have eruptions in the skin. If you have high blood pressure and in a pregnant condition, stay away from those types of massage. Calf massage is also harmful to immature people.

    Now, in modern times there is foot and calf massager eligible in the market. These messengers are safe to use and made with concerning the problem of calf pain. They are really effective for Calf pain and massage.

    How To Do The Calf Massage Technique:

  • Start by folding your towel or blanket in half until its about a two foot long rectangle. Then tightly roll it up as shown in the photo below.
  • Next, come to your hands and knees. Place the rolled up towel or blanket right behind the knees as shown in photo number 1 below. Then gently sit back towards your heels, as shown in photo marked 2. There will probably be a little space between the heels and the glutes, which is completely fine. If the muscles are really tender and the pressure is too great to sit up tall and straight, then lean forward a bit and place a hand or both on the ground. This is where you have control over how much pressure you apply to the calves.
  • Stay here a few breaths, then lean forward and move the rolled blanket/towel down an inch or two towards the heels as shown in photo 3. Lean back towards the heels again, applying as much pressure as you feel you can tolerate. Stay a bit, then move it down again, repeating until you get over the heels/Achilles tendon. Then bring it back behind the knees once more, doing the whole process over again.
  • Make as many trips from behind the knees to the heels as you like! If you feel really tender spots, hang out there a little longer than the other spots to really loosen the muscle.
  • Tip: if you are not feeling much, or are feeling like you could handle a lot more pressure you can use a broom stick or a few inches of pvc pipe in place of the rolled towel/blanket. Itll be a lot more intense so be aware!

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    A Straightforward Path To Healing

    Once you have a solid understanding of gastrocnemius injuries, they are relatively easy to assess and treat. There are just a few important principles to remember. As mentioned earlier, be sure to have the person see a physician and wait at least three days after the injury has occurred to gently begin treatment. This allows the initial healing to take place without interference. Emphasize the importance of keeping the heels elevated, so the gastrocnemius muscle can relax. Also work to ensure that the client moves the calf through a full range of motion, on a daily basis, in order to maintain full flexibility and help prevent future injuries from occurring. With proper self-care and appropriate treatment, most gastrocnemius muscle tears can heal within 46 weeks.

    Ben E. Benjamin, PhD, holds a doctorate in education and sports medicine. He is founder of the Muscular Therapy Institute. Benjamin has been in private practice for more than 45 years and has taught communication skills as a trainer and coach for more than 25 years. He teaches extensively across the country on topics including orthopedic massage, Active Isolated Stretching and Strengthening, SAVI communications, and ethics, and is the author of Listen to Your Pain , Are You Tense? , and Exercise Without Injury , and coauthor of The Ethics of Touch

    Treating Grade I Calf Strains

    3 Ways to Avoid Muscle Cramps
  • 1Identify the seriousness of the injury. Most calf strains are minor injuries and self-heal within a week — the degree of pain, disability and bruising are good indicators of seriousness. Grade I muscle strains involve micro-tears of up to 10% of the muscle fibers. They’re characterized by mild pain twinges at the back of the lower leg, usually in the mid to proximal region of the leg. Minimal loss of strength and motion is experienced. You may still be able to walk, run or play your sport, albeit with discomfort and tightness.XResearch source
  • Muscle strains occur when the force in the muscle is so great that the tissue tears, most commonly at the junction between where the muscles taper into tendons.
  • Most Grade I lower leg strains cause discomfort for between two to five days post injury, but may take a few weeks to fully heal, depending on proportion of muscle fibers involved and the type of treatment sought.
  • Don’t tie the compression bandage too tight or leave it on for more than 15 minutes at a time because complete restriction of blood flow could cause more damage to your leg.
  • 3Take over-the-counter medications. Your family doctor may recommend anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin, or possibly regular analgesics such as acetaminophen to help combat the inflammation and pain associated with your calf injury.XResearch source
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    Self Therapy Three: Home Trigger Point Therapy Using Vibration Massage

    Vibration massage is widely used by professionals to treat trigger points. It is done by simply placing the vibration massager over the trigger point allowing the vibrations to penetrate and have their effect. Because it does not require penetrating pressure it is relatively safe, and because no special skills are required it is far easier to self apply.

    You can get professional results from self therapy

    Weve discussed that because manual therapies rely on skilled application and it can be difficult to get into some positions for self massage, self applied manual massage is often nowhere as effective as professional therapy. On the other hand because a vibration massager just sits on the surface and does the work, as long as it is applied in the right place self applied vibration massage can be as effective as professionally applied vibration.

    Why vibration massage works

    As shown in this diagram the key parts of a trigger point are muscle spasm, muscle tightness, restricted blood flow, and a build up of toxic wastes. Vibrations have been shown to help all of these. For more information please see our guide The scientifically proven effects of vibration massage- with clinical applications.

    How to use vibration massage

    Try Floss Bands For Getting The Muscle Fascia

    The brand of standard floss that you use does not matter in the slightest its the EXACT same material justwith different branding on it. On the left I have a black VooDoo band from Mobility WOD, while on the right I have a red band from RockTape/RockFloss

    Band flossing is a relatively new, yet great way to treat tight, restricted muscles. It involves using an elastic band and wrapping it around an area of the body that has sore and tight muscles. Once its wrapped, a series of non-specific, active movement is performed for a short duration of time to help treat the tissue underneath.

    If you need a pair of floss bands, just grab these Iron Core Athletics floss bands theyre a great price for a pair and they dont come with unnecessary carrying cases or anything else that makes you pay more money than you have to. These are currently the best deal Ive found on Amazon.

    Please note: I earn an incredibly small commission off of any purchases you make through these Amazon links at no extra cost to you. I use these commissions to pay for the web hosting and other expenses I incur with running this website.

    Whats awesome about flossing is that its rather easy to perform and picking up a floss band or two only costs a couple of dollars, so its certainly worth a try if youre not having any success with traditional pressure-based massage treatments.

    How to use floss bands for your calves

    and tuck the last bit underneath the wrap so that it stays in place.

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    How To Give A Leg Massage

    This article was co-authored by . Marty Morales is a Professional Massage Therapist and the Founder and Owner of the Morales Method, a manual therapy and body conditioning business based in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Los Angeles, California. Marty has over 16 years of massage therapist experience and over 13 years of experience educating others on the best practices for massage therapy. Marty has over 10,000 hours of private practice logged and is a Certified Advanced Rolfer and Rolf Movement Practitioner, CMT. He has an MBA in Finance from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles.There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 152,592 times.

    Giving someone a leg massage can be a way to help relieve leg pain caused by things like overexertion. Help the person find a comfortable position and then work your way from the feet upward. If leg pain is persistent, it may be caused by an underlying health condition. If someone’s leg pain does not pass on its own, they should see a doctor.

    How To Stretch Your Calf Muscles

    How to self massage your calf muscles – HighBaller

    Stretch your calf muscles gently before engaging in activity. To stretch your calves, stand arms length away from a wall. Face the wall with your feet flat against the floor, toes pointed towards the wall. Press your hands against the wall and lean forward slowly until you feel a stretch in your calves.

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    How To Massage Away Calf Muscle Soreness

    Theres a high likelihood that you ended up here because you have a sore calf muscle and you googled, how to massage calf muscle. For your convenience, here are a fewuseful massage techniques that you can use right at home to relax lower leg muscles.

    Keep in mind that if you ever feel sharp pain while massaging, you should stop. Youre not aiming for a deep tissue massage the goal is to work out muscle knots, address muscle spasms, or to address muscle fatigue.

    Its important to apply firm pressure, not deep pressure.

    You should also never massage on the day of the initial injury. Be sure to wait a few days before using massage for pain relief. This will give the muscles and tendons a chance to heal before being put under more stress, which helps to avoid causing further harm.

    Stretch Of The Week: Calf Massage Technique

    This week we are going to give our calves a little extra love with a calf massage technique instead of a stretch. This is one I use all the time because my calves are so tight. If you have trigger points or knots in your muscles, this is a great way to work them out on your own. Ill warn you right now, it might be tender, so just apply as much pressure as you feel comfortable. Thats the great thing about this technique, you have control over how much you sink into the tissue. You will need a towel or a smaller blanket for this technique.

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    How Do You Self Massage Sore Muscles

    Steps to follow Lie on the floor on your back, with your knees bent. Place the tennis ball directly under the tense spot in your back. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. To add more pressure, gently rotate your body to lean on the tennis ball. You can also cross one ankle over the opposite knee to increase the pressure.

    How Does A Calf Massage Help Relaxation

    Massage techniques part 17, calf muscle, Massagehorsens.dk ...

    A calf massage can help the body relax. A calf massage helps relax the body both mentally and physically.

    A calf massage helps the body to relax by decreasing muscle tightness and psychologically relaxing the person.

    Muscles in the calf can become tight for many reasons such as injury or overuse. Tight muscles can cause pain and discomfort if left untreated. When friction is created between the skin and fingers, this increases the temperature of the muscles. Increasing the temperature of the muscles, improves tissue elasticity. Improving tissue elasticity, relieves tight muscles and allows the body to physically relax.

    A calf massage increases the production of positive hormones. Serotonin and dopamine are both positive hormones secreted from the brain. Serotonin and dopamine can give a person a sense of well-being and also a “good mood” effect. A calf massage encourages the release of serotonin and dopamine to help increase a person’s level of relaxation.

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    How Does A Calf Massage Maximise Performance

    A calf massage can benefit the body by maximising performance during activity.

    A calf massage helps prepare the muscles for activity to maximise performance by increasing blood circulation and increasing range of movement.

    Blood circulation is increased as friction is created between the skin and fingers. Increasing blood circulation allows an increase in oxygen and nutrients to be delivered to the muscles. An increase in oxygen and nutrients provides muscles with an increase in energy and reduces the build-up of metabolic wastes that can contribute to muscular fatigue. Increasing oxygen and nutrient levels is also essential in the maintenance of strong healthy muscles and helps repair damage the muscles may have before activity.

    A calf massage also increases the elasticity and flexibility of muscles. Elasticity and flexibility is increased as muscle temperature rises due to improved circulation. Increasing elasticity and flexibility provides muscles with a wider range of movement. Increasing range of movement of muscles decreases tightness and tension. A combination of increased range of movement, decreased tightness and decreased tension helps avoid injury during short bursts of movement during activity.

    Typical Patient History Of A Person Who Just Tore Their Calf

    40 year old woman who works out 3-4 days a week, solely at Orange Theory Fitness, during the winter. Has a professional career usually wears high heels to work usually sits for a large portion of the day. Doesnt know how much water she drinks in a day. While trying to get to a ball during her first tennis match of the season, she feels a sharp pain in her lower leg. She knew something was wrong, but kept trying to play for a few minutes. The next day its swollen, slightly bruised, and she cant walk on it very well. *It is recommended that you get evaluated by a professional to determine the appropriate timing of the following information.

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    How Can Myotherapy Help

    • Assess the extent and site of the tear, as well as the initial inflammation to identify the severity and therefore the appropriate treatment, rehab, and prognosis.
    • Create a treatment program to ensure strong scar building and muscle repair, reduce pain, and return muscle strength and range of motion.
    • Return you back to your sport of choice as soon as possible with a strong calf and better biomechanics to reduce your chances of re-injury.

    today to help with calf or other muscle tears, to get the best treatment for your injury, and get you back to what you love sooner!

    The Seven Best Ways To Massage Your Calf Muscles All By Yourself

    How To Foam Roll / Massage Your Calf Muscles

    Plenty of people experience tight and nasty feeling calf muscles. After all, these muscles tend to get used more so than nearly any other muscles in our body. So, when it comes to getting calf tension under control and thus getting them to feel better, having effective, self-directed treatment methods that are easy, quick and convenient to perform should be at the top of the priority list.

    The best ways to massage your calf muscles on your own involve using your own hands, a lacrosse ball, floss bands, foam rollers, IASTM tools, vibration therapy and even a barbell. Each of these techniques will offer unique benefits that will help get calf tension under control and eliminate pain.

    If youre curious as to what some of the best ways are to treat your tight and painful calves, then keep on reading as Ill be providing detailed information for each treatment method below!

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