Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett › Forums › General › Calf “Rope”

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    • 09/21/2013 at 8:51 pm #70489
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      Participant

      I’ve been working on my calves for some time, I suspected that my crazy tight calf was related to my painful heel cord. I’ve had a lot of relief in the heel cord, and I can now smash my calf (shearing side to side with all my weight on the foam roller with my other leg pressing down on it) without going deep into the pain cave. All good!

      The issue is that my upper calf still seems to feel like it has a huge rope in it when I do this work. Indeed, it feels HARD – and my current approach doesn’t seem to be doing anything more for it. The method as I’ve described came from several of the mobility videos – pity I can’t remember which one. 
      What else can I do to free up/loosen that calf “bone”? It feels pretty good sized… I’ve read about the bone saw but at this point I don’t have the hip flexibility to really sit back on the upper calf like he describes – I am also dealing with some crazy tight flexors. I was actually making progress on those and then wound up driving 1,700 miles in 8 days and that sent me all the way back to the beginning. Thankfully at least my hamstrings are quite flexible! 
    • 09/21/2013 at 10:40 pm #72823
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      Have you used a barbell to peel your calf left to right or up and down?
      Lay on your stomach and lay the barbell on your upper calf?
      Have you had someone smash your calf with their foot?
      Done with the person standing on the outside of your leg and the person standing on the inside of your leg?
      Sitting on the floor have one foot on the floor and in the space between you calf and thigh put a lacrosse ball.
      Squeeze your shin toward you.
      Another way to do this is to kneel place a lacrosse ball on your calf and sit back so your butt is on your heel. Slide the ball up and down your calf to work out any areas.

    • 10/02/2013 at 7:16 pm #72906
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      This week I used a barbell to smash that calf – I placed it underneath my calf and, after placing all my weight on the leg, I sheared it left to right. Oddly enough that didn’t hurt at all – but when I do that with a foam roller it feels like there is a large something snapping back and forth – sometimes it actually stops the movement unless I decrease the pressure.

      So far I’ve not found a friend comfortable enough to smash it with their foot. I will try the method you describe with putting a lacrosse ball between calf and thigh – I may not have enough mobility for this but will attempt it. I KNOW I can’t get my butt on my heel  :”>
    • 10/03/2013 at 3:26 pm #72909
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      You did left to right what about up and down?
      Second part of this episodes shows another possible way
      Episode 69: Triple Extension Problems + Clown Ball Champion

    • 10/03/2013 at 4:25 pm #72910
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      I gave up on the up and down motion because that doesn’t seem to actually do anything. When I use that motion I can’t seem to even find the tender spots, let along work on them. I will check out Episode 69 tonight.

      Last night I placed the LAX ball in the “belly” of my calf and sat back on it – as far as I could. While I wasn’t all the way back on it there was most certainly some evil stuff going on – but I don’t have the flexibility to really work in that position – unsure if that is my hips, knees or both.
    • 10/03/2013 at 7:51 pm #72911
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