The soleus muscle, with its name derived from the Latin word “solea”, which means sandal, is one of the more powerful muscles in your body, located in the lower leg in the calf area. The soleus starts from below the knee to the heel and it is connected with the gastrocnemius muscle. Some consider it to be part of a single muscle in the calf, called the triceps surae, while others consider it to be a standalone muscle.
The role of the soleus muscle is to be the plantar flexor at the ankle joint and it’s involved in walking and standing. With the help of this muscle, which forms the Achilles tendon, humans and mammals can apply a great deal of force through the ankle. For example, the muscle is used when a person pushes off the ground while walking or standing on their toes, which are the basic ways in which to exercise this particular muscle.
Other activities that engage the soleus muscle are running or dancing as well as preventing the body from falling forward. Besides that, it helps pump blood from the feet to the heart.
Here at Pain Relief Massage Clinic on the Gold Coast, a lot of runners visit us regularly. Smart runners know that having a deep tissue massage or sports massage regularly is the only way to prevent unexpected leg injury. Asking for deep tissue massage when their muscles are in trouble is a wise thing to do, but having this massage treatment regularly is a lot wiser. Tearing calf muscles badly due to a lack of muscle maintenance is not uncommon and the consequence for that can last for the rest of the runner’s life on the Gold Coast.
One of the most common injuries in this area are strains which usually involve the soleus muscle alone or the soleus muscle and another muscle; strains in this area often include the tearing of these muscles and causes pain in the lower part of the leg. During the contraction of the calf, the tension is placed through this muscle and when the muscle experiences too much tension or a lot of repetition, the muscle can be strained or even torn.
Usually, calf strains involve more superficial lessions but when the lesion is deep they can end up injuring the soleus muscle. There are several types of calf strains and usually specialists assign grades from 1 to 3 in order to classify them. The first grade includes a small number of torn fibers with some pain, however the calf has a full function; the second grade involves moderate loss of function with a significant amount of pain; and the third grade involves an extreme amount of pain with significant loss of function as well as the most of the muscle fibers being ruptured.
The reasons for calf strain, no matter what grade, are usually various. For example one of the most common is when the muscle is gradually worn out by overuse. This type of wear and tear usually happens when people engage long term in strenuous activities such as running or walking uphill. Another common way to strain the soleus muscle is by stretching it too much; this usually means having an accident while being in a certain position, for example a forced forward position. A lot of athletes experience calf strains especially if they are involved in sports like football, tennis or squash.
In the first moments after the accident that produces a calf strain, the person might feel a sharp pain in their muscle as well as a sort of tightening. People who experience this should immediately stop whatever they are doing and seek a place to rest. After a couple of minutes to an hour they might experience swelling as well as muscle spans and weakness. In the most severe cases people might also walk with a limp and experience a great deal of pain when using the affected leg.
It is recommended to avoid all activities and make sure that you get plenty of rest afterwards. When the calf is almost healed people can resume their physical activity routine but they will have to make sure that they incorporate lighter exercise for a while, until the strain is completely healed.
With the help of a physician in the most severe cases, people can recover in a couple of months. For cases that are milder people might even be able to resume their normal activity in a few weeks. However, if the muscle is completely torn, some people might need surgery as well as a rehabilitation program in order to fully recover their leg and might even end up returning to their normal activities in a few months or even longer.
To aid in the process of healing, medical doctors on the Gold Coast may recommend taking anti-inflammatory medication, doing light exercise as well as getting some deep tissue massage or sports massage. These therapeutic massage treatments are great ways to help the tissue heal as well as make sure that you avoid future accidents by keeping the muscle in the best shape possible.
Deep tissue massage will have to be regular in the most severe cases but for those who are just experiencing a minor strain, a few sessions of deep tissue massage or sports massage can show great results and almost immediate relief when it comes to pain. By adding deep tissue massage in your routine you can avoid future side effects that come with such an accident: such as calf weakness, fatigue, poor balance, decreased fitness, etc.
If you are interested in a regular treatment for your soleus muscle or would like to improve your calf condition by a deep tissue massage gold coast has to offer, click and visit www.remedialmassage-goldcoast.com.au and see what their clients say.
Pain Relief Massage Clinic
192 Brisbane Road, Arundel Gold Coast QLD 4214 Australia
Phone: (07) 5537 7886