Calf Stretch
Calf muscle stretches for seniors and the elderly like the calf stretch below are vital to maintain the flexibility of your legs. This exercise can easily be performed by seniors using a wall or chair to lean on.
Try this stretch before your take your daily walk to improve your ankle and knee movement. I’m sure you have seen runners out on the street, leaning against a building stretching their calf muscles.
Why? Usually they are trying to prevent injuring their calf muscle when they are running due to tightness. Stretching prepares the muscle for the activity it is about to do. Try it and feel the difference a stretched calf can make.
Purpose of this exercise
Targets the flexibility of your calf muscle and heel cord. Increases your ability to straighten your knee.
Step 1
Stand facing a wall.Place your hands on the wall.
Step 2
Step forward with your right foot. Lean your hips toward the wall.Keep your back leg straight, heel on the floor. Hold position for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat with the other leg.
Breathing
Breathe normally, in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Tips
Use a chair if you need more balance support. Keep your toes pointing straight ahead. If you have pain in your ankle or calf, stop and try stretching again in your pain free range.
Take it up a notch
To improve your balance try holding on with one hand or even placing your hands on your hips.
How to do Calf Stretch
More Lower Body Stretches
1. Seated Lifts
- Improve the range of motion in your hips and legs.
- Help stabilize your low back and pelvis.
- Learn what is flexibility.
2. Standing Quadriceps Stretch
- Will improve your hip and knee range of motion with these exercises to increase flexibility.
- Can improve your standing posture by allowing you to stand up straighter.
3. Back Stretch
- Improves the range of motion in your spine and trunk with lower back stretching.
- Increases your ability to bend and reach low or high.
- Improve your hip and thigh range of motion with stretching legs exercises.
- Increase your functional ability in standing, walking and stepping.
5. Calf Stretch
- Targets the flexibility of your calf muscle and heel cord with calf muscle stretches.
- Increases your ability to straighten your knee
- This is a good stretch for the side hip area.
- Improve the range of motion of our hips.
- These stretching techniques also can help with balance.
- Increase the range of motion of your hips with these flexibility stretches.
- Improve the functional use of your legs as in getting out of a car or stepping over the side of your bath tub.
- Increases the flexibility of the deep calf muscle with flexibility stretching exercises.
- Generally improves your lower body flexibility and functional use of your legs.
- Improve the range of motion of the ankle and foot with warming up stretching.
- Can help with ankle swelling.
- Increases your ability to lean forward and reach your feet with hamstring stretching.
- Improves the flexibility of your low back and legs.
11. Knee To Chest
- Stretches your knee and hip joints with flexibility importance exercises.
- Improves low back flexibility.
12. Ankle Stretch
- Helps maintain good ankle flexibility which will assist with walking and standing with ankle stretching exercises.
- Also helps with knee and hip stiffness.
Resources Family Caregivers https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/pdf/STEADI-CaregiverBrochure.pdf