Foam Rolling for Tight Calf Muscles

Foam rolling is a great way to relax your muscles and help prevent soreness, tightness, and injury.

Activities such as soccer, football, basketball, skating, swimming, and running can cause excessive calf contraction. Spending a few minutes on a foam roller before and after these activities can significantly increase mobility and blood flow to your muscles, preparing them for improved performance. Rolling can also help reduce pain and soreness, increase range of motion, and aid in muscle recovery.

This video demonstrates how to properly apply pressure to the calf muscle with a dense foam roller for self-myofascial release, or self-massage. This technique is hugely powerful in allowing us to walk, run, dance, jump, etc. without calf pain, and can reduce stress on the knee and ankle joints.

Since the musculature of the calves are relatively small, you can roll out the entire area in just a few minutes. As always, be sure to breathe deeply to encourage relaxation in the entire body and nervous system. Although foam rolling can be somewhat intense, listen to your body and find a pressure that is manageable for YOU.