Hi,
In your calf you have three main muscles, the gastrocneimus, the soleus and the tibialis posterior (which is between the two bones of the lower leg, goes behind your inside ankle and then inserts into your arch). All three of these muscles will cause you to have AT pain, as well as some pai in your calf, heel and arch.
The gastroc begins behind your knee and becomes the AT, and the soleus begins at the middle of your posterior shinbone and also merges into the fibers of the AT. The purpose for all three muscles is to pull your heel up so you can stand on your toes. As a result, any exercise that has you stand on your toes is contracting the muscles, not stretching them.
You can find and treat the spasms that are shortening the muscle fibers in several different ways. One of them is to sit in a chair and put your calf on top of your opposite knee. For example, to work on your right calf, put the top of your right calf directly onto your left kneecap. Place your hands on your right shinbone for additional strength and assisted direction. Now, draw your right leg up so your left kneecap is pressing into the right fibers all the way down to your ankle. Each of the “bumps” you pass over are spasms, and they will hurt. These are the trigger points you need to release.
To release them simply keep your kneecap steady on the point for 60 seconds and then continue sliding down toward the heel. Do that several times in the center of your calf, then turn your foot in toward midline and do the same movements. You are now working the inside fibers of the muscles. Finally, turn your foot out and do the movements again. This time you are working the outside fibers of the calf.
As for stretching the calf. Everyone know how to do the one where you put your (in this case right leg) back and then bend your left knee. BTW, you don’t need to be bending your body forward or pressing into a wall, that is only contracting a muscle called the psoas and doesn’t do anything to help the calf stretch. This part of the stretch is for the gastroc muscle.
The part that I frequently see athletes miss is the stretch for the tibialis posterior and for the soleus. Stay in the same position, then keeping a straight up posture, move your hips back and bend your right knee as if you were trying to kneel - but keep your foot flat on the floor.
This is a little difficult to explain without pictures, but I hope you can figure it out. This second part of the stretch will cause you to feel the stretch in a totally different area. Most people haven’t stretched these two muscles nearly enough, and I find that these muscles are the primary cause of AT - for exactly that reason.
We have a really active forum that discusses how to self treat spasms all over your body (with a big emphasis on the legs and hips) at www.julstro.com. As you read through the threads you’ll get lots of answers to your questions. Also, go to the section that says “Muscles and Pain” for some understanding of why a muscle spasm in a totally “seemingly unrelated” area can cause pain someplace else.
Hope this has been helpful to you,
Wishing you well,
Julie Donnelly