|
|
Calf muscle
The Gastrocnemius and Soleus, or calf muscles, are among the hardest working parts of the body. All day long, when you walk, climb stairs, drive your car, you are using the calf muscles.
Most of the time we take them for granted, but when an accident or injury strikes, your calf muscles will provide a painful reminder of just how essential they are.
There are actually two different muscles that work together on the rear of the lower leg. Their main job is to point the foot downwards. The two are:
- Gastrocnemius - the large muscle at the top of the lower leg.
- Soleus - a smaller muscle that lies beneath the Achilles tendon.
Runners, footballers, tennis players and those who take high impact exercise classes are all prone to lower leg injuries, but looking after this area of the body is not hard, though it's something that many people neglect to do as a part of their regular workouts.
The key to injury prevention (and improved performance for athletes and sports people) is a combination of strengthening exercises and regular stretching. Performing appropriate resistance exercises once or twice per week, and stretching out after every workout will go a long way to ensuring that you don't suffer significant downtime from injuries.
|
|
