Stretch calf after surgery

After an operation in the area of the lower extremity, the affected area is often immobilized. It must not be moved. A lack of movement leads to shortening of the calf, and after a long bed rest it can be difficult to make the calf muscles elastic and mobile again.

It should be avoided that the calf muscles shorten so much that the full joint movement in the ankle joint is lost. After some operations, certain movements in the foot are forbidden and one should not train in dorsal extension (pulling the foot up). Once this movement is released, the stretching techniques/exercises described above should be used to prevent shortening.

Care should be taken, if circumstances permit, to ensure that the foot is properly supported during immobilization and is not constantly in a pointed foot position. In physiotherapy/physiotherapy there are also some therapeutic techniques for stretching the Achilles tendon and calf. If it is forbidden to put strain on the leg, but not to move the foot, then the stretching exercises can be performed very well in a sitting position.

The movement of the foot keeps the calf elastic and prevents shortening. As soon as possible, the entire range of movement should be used. This article might also interest you regarding this:

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Causes

Our calf muscles are double-jointed, which means that they move the ankle joint but also the knee joint. In the foot it makes a plantaflexion, it moves our foot into the pointed foot position, in the knee it bends. A frequent pointed foot position, e.g. by wearing high heels or also by previous illnesses (fracture, axial malposition of the bones, neurological illnesses…) can cause the calf muscles and thus also the Achilles tendon to shorten. Also one-sided training of the leg musculature, a constant bending in the knee, can promote the shortening of the musculature.