Hey, welcome to this weeks Stretch-of-the-Week. Today we'll be introducing the gastrocnemius-soleus strech, or to put it more simply a calf stretch. It fairly simple to do with just a few step involved and the need for a partner is necessary as per usual in PNF stretches. The stretcher lies on their back, with their legs straight and flexes their foot towards their knee as far as possible. A partner then holds that foot in the flexed position whilst the stretcher attempts to point their toes. After this stretch the stretcher inhales deeply whilst the foot is in the starting position and on the exhale the stretcher contract their tibialis anterior and deepens the stretch.

Once again if you feel pain at any time stop. This stretch is best done whilst the stretcher is lying on a table so they can grip the sides of the table and stabilise themselves. Both of these muscles insert into the Achilles tendon, which is the strongest in the body. the soleus muscle lies underneath the gastocnemius and is more often the reason for tension felt in the calf.

Always remember that while stretching may be recommended to aid recovery out of injury, you should always be very careful when stretching through rehabilitation.  Your soft tissues are likely to be more vulnerable to re-injury if you stretch too much or too hard during this time.  Always check with your Health Care Professional who is guiding you through your recovery to make sure it is appropriate to start stretching, and please - ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES FOR SAFE STRETCHING (blog #50).

Information obtained from McAtee, R. & Charland, J. (1993) Facilitated Stretching
Image from

Hi today we will be discussing the tibialis anterior stretch. This stretch helps increase your range of motion in your ankle which should be about 50 degrees downwards and about 20 degrees upwards. The stretcher lies supine and points their toes using their calf muscle, this lengthens the tibialis anterior to its end of range. Cup the right heel with your left hand and hold the top of the foot and the stretcher should slowly attempt to pull their foot back towards their knee. The isometric pull through the tibialis anterior is followed by relaxation and deep breathing. On an exhale the stretcher should contract their calf muscle and increase their plantarflexion (deepening the tibialis stretch).

This stretch is very safe but once again if their is any pain please stop. The tibialis anterior stretches from the lateral shaft of the tibia to the base of the first metatarsal in the foot.

Always remember that while stretching may be recommended to aid recovery out of injury, you should always be very careful when stretching through rehabilitation.  Your soft tissues are likely to be more vulnerable to re-injury if you stretch too much or too hard during this time.  Always check with your Health Care Professional who is guiding you through your recovery to make sure it is appropriate to start stretching, and please - ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES FOR SAFE STRETCHING (blog #50).

Information obtained from McAtee, R. & Charland, J. (1993) Facilitated Stretching
Image from www.exrx.net/Muscles/TibialisAnterior.html