Forums >Health and Nutrition>Myofascial release > Your experiences?
Hi,
I have very painful calves when running, usually they start to tighten up after 5-10 minutes only. Sometimes, I feel the need to stop and walk at that point but the pain rarely subsides until I stop walking completely and rest for 10 minutes. I've tried lots of different things to combat this (several shoe types - gait analysis, stretching, warm up/no warm up etc).
I trying now to foam roll my calves... but having done it on and off for a few weeks, I have the following problem.
Just the act of rolling up and down the calf with moderate pressure, I would say 70% of my calf is painful to put pressure on, 30-40% is very painful. I try to focus on those very painful areas and hold still at around a 7-8/10 pain level for 30 seconds.
I've read that I am supposed to feel the pain radiate away or feel reference pain radiate away. I don't. I'm convinced, if I could take the pain that I could sit there for 5 minutes without any difference.
This pain doesn't get any better with repeat rolling. I've tried relaxed muscles, flexing my foot and working the areas "around" the pain, but I just can't get rid of it.
So my question is, does anyone else have this sort of thing in their history and is there any benefit to me doing this? Did you have totally painful muscles rather than hotspots like I seem to have?
Thanks!
Mark
For me, a foam roller doesn't do much. I like to use a lacrosse ball to really get in there. But if that doesn't help either, you might have something else going on?
justrundan
Are you new to running and this has been happening since you started, or are you a seasoned runner and this is a new problem? also, age and any other medical problems that might indicate it's more than muscles?
Dan
I've had my massage guy do myofascial release. I usually have issues with my low back/ glutes/ piriformis. He's tried to show us the technique for self treatment, but it's really hard for me to get the hang of it. The way he explains it, you have to use enough pressure to get the fascia to release, but not too much, or it will tighten up in self defense. I can't figure it out, so I let him do it. Your technique of 7-8/10 pain level for 30 seconds might be too much. Try a 5 level for several minutes.
I have also been having calf tightness issues, which is causing foot problems and hip problems. I discovered rather by accident, that the tightest spot was on the back of my calf, directly below where the knee folds. I use my thumbs and press gently to a 4-5 pain level. I also found a small wooden rolling pin at the thrift store, and I roll my calves with that. You could also use a dowel rod.