Better Achilles Tendon Stretch
Friday, November 03, 2006
Healthline
A frequently seen stretch for the calf muscles and Achilles tendon is the "lunge and lean" pictured at right. It is one of the least effective ways to stretch your calf and Achilles. Although many people spend much time doing this stretch, they often get little or no stretch:
- Bending over forward reduces the stretch and trains the same bent forward position that you already know is poor posture when you sit like that at your desk or steering wheel.
- Sticking your hips out in back reduces the stretch on the Achilles tendon.
- Turning your back foot outward, even a small amount, reduces, and often eliminates the stretch completely.
- Stand facing a wall at about arm's length away.
- Stand with both feet facing straight ahead - parallel - not turned out, even a small amount.
- Put one foot on the wall at knee height. Press that heel against the wall.
- Look down and see if the foot you are standing on is facing directly ahead. Make that standing foot straight, not turned out; not even a little.
- Do not lean toward the wall. Lift your chest until you are standing straight.
- Don't let your hip curl under or your standing knee or hip bend.
- Smile, relax shoulders, and breathe.
- Hold a few seconds and switch legs.
Many people are so tight, that as soon as they raise one leg against the wall, their standing foot turns out without their even noticing it, and they round their back. Don't stretch wrong, allowing the tightness to perpetuate. Do the purpose of the stretch - to retrain the same healthy positioning you need for real life.
Stretching is supposed to be healthy. When you stretch, don't practice bad bent over posture habits. Stretch in ways to make your daily life healthier.
Photo #1 by Macrocomp, Some rights reserved.
Photo #2 (copyright) in the book Fix Your Own Pain Without Drugs or Surgery
Learn more healthy stretches in the fun book, Stretching Smarter Stretching Healthier
Labels: achilles stretch, balance, disc, leg stretch, stretch
4 Comments:
At Thursday, April 12, 2007 4:30:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
This is a good stretch that I have never actually thought of before but I don't feel it in my achillies...the one that was listed first is the only stretch I can get that remotely targets the achillies
At Sunday, April 15, 2007 10:46:00 AM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD said…
Great that you tried the stretch. The foot-on-wall Achilles stretch that I posted is one you immediately feel when you position yourself as indicated. If your standing foot turns outward even a small amount, that moves the line of stretch off the back of the lower beg. Other changes that remove the stretch are rounding the back or standing more than about arm's length away from the wall.
Come to a workshop sometime - Fix Pain, Get Stronger and Healthier (and Stop Leaks) in One Day. These new stretches are quick and easy to learn, feel good, and the people are fun.
The particular stretch you use doesn't matter, just if you are stretching in a way that is healthy, doesn't reinforce poor body mechanics, prepares you for how you move in real life, and that you enjoy and feel good doing.
At Thursday, June 05, 2008 7:42:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
This position (foot-on-wall) stretches the hamstrings more than the achilles tendon. It's pretty awkward. The classic achilles stretch works perfectly fine and really isolates the gastroc/soleus muscles.
At Friday, June 13, 2008 9:40:00 AM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Anonymous, it if feels "awkward" that is a good diagnostic of tightness that does not allow functional movement or standing comfortably straight. That's why this is the That's why this is the Fitness Fixer.
This different way is a functional stretch - moving the way you actually need to use your body for health and real-life movement - standing straight with leg extended, balancing and stretching, not bent over hanging on to something. Isolating is also not functional. The idea is to change habits so that standing straight is a natural stretch and becomes natural not awkward. Everything on Fitness Fixer and my other methods are not exercises and stretches alone, but retraining. Click around this site, and use the labels to see that this is a different way - instead of "doing" exercise and stretches - to train healthier movement patterns for all you do, easy, comfortable, healthy and functional at the same time.
Post a Comment
<< Home