Pain Center of the Calf
Table of Contents
- How People Describe This Pain Pattern
- How You Activate and Intensify This Pain Pattern
- Self-Care – Getting Relief on Your Own
- Musculoskeletal Anatomy Behind Your Pain
- Therapy Notes for Massage and Bodywork
How People Describe This Pain Pattern
Pain in the Center of the Muscle
Patients complain of diffuse pain in the center of their calf. Like the other soleus trigger point, This bothers them when they have prolonged immobility, like sleeping. Additionally, it bothers them when they have sudden lengthening of the calf. Typically, this happened in a misstep, going up stairs or a steep incline. Examination usually reveals a tight band along the outside of the upper calf.
Sleep
This is one of the muscles that create cramps in your calf when sleeping. Other muscles, like gastrocnemius, tend to create other patterns, like cramping arches.
Swelling?
Often, this trigger point restricts blood flow, and the calf becomes swollen.
If you have a swollen calf, see your doctor first. A number of serious concerns can cause swelling. Also, poking around there could release a clot leading to a stroke.
How You Activate and Intensify This Pain Pattern
Badly fitted Shoes
Slippery shoes or a slippery floor can create a misstep that strains this muscle. Additionally, a stiff shoe causes the ankle to flex more and can overwork this muscle.
Sports, Overdoing It
This trigger point can be activated by overdoing it. Examples include unusual activities on vacation, such as hiking or dancing. The activity involves jerky, repetitive, or unusual ankle movement. One of my friends had this every time she danced the night away. Her favorite move was to rock back and forth while tapping her heel. For hours.
The Musculoskeletal Anatomy Behind Your Pain
Musculoskeletal Anatomy
This post on anatomy contains standard information about the origin, insertion, function, and innervation of muscles. Additionally, it includes information on functional considerations and anomalies.
Find Related Posts
Anatomy posts have a grid of all related posts. This includes posts on pain patterns, self-care, therapy notes, NMT protocols, cranial techniques, and cases.
Getting Relief on Your Own
Clinically Proven
Self-Care Strategies
Self-Care Posts have common sections to make them easy to follow and understand:
- Activities to Avoid or Change
- Strategies for Quick Relief
- Stretches and Exercise for Longer-Lasting Relief
- Yoga Corner
Therapy Notes for Massage and Bodywork
Better Bodywork
Through Shared Expertise
Therapy Notes provide details for cranial, spinal, and local joint work. These notes also link to a traditional neuromuscular protocol.
By treating integrative components first, direct work on the muscle becomes less intense while providing longer-lasting relief.
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Tony Preston has a practice in Atlanta, Georgia, where he sees clients. He has written materials and instructed classes since the mid-90s. This includes anatomy, trigger points, cranial, and neuromuscular.
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*This site is undergoing significant changes. We are reformatting and expanding the posts to make them easier to read. The result will also be more accessible and include more patterns with better self-care. Meanwhile, there may be formatting, content presentation, and readability inconsistencies. Until we get older posts updated, please excuse our mess.
