The Achilles tendon is one of the body's longest tendons. It stretches from the lower portion of the calf muscle to the back of the ankle. This tendon allows you to point and flex your foot. Of all the body's tendons, the Achilles tendon is most frequently injured. If the muscles around your Achilles tendon become achy, the light massage techniques described here might help.
Instructions
1. Sit in a comfortable chair and cross your leg so that the ankle of your sore leg rests on the knee of your non-sore leg.
2. Grasp your calf muscle with your hand making a "C" shape. The thumb should rest in the center of the muscle and the four, remaining fingers should rest against the shin. Gently press with your thumb down the length of the calf muscle.
3. Make both hands into a "C" shape. Grasp the calf muscle on either side with your thumbs on top. Gentle squeeze and kneed up and down the calf using your thumbs and forefingers. Jiggle the calf muscle a bit to loosen it up as you kneed.
4. Locate the tenderest spots on the muscle and use your thumbs to gently, but firmly, massage more deeply into them.
5. Form a fist with your hand and press it into the calf muscle using a firm, circular massaging motion. This is particularly helpful if you need to massage a large, sore area.
6. Place the foot of your sore leg on the floor. Place your hands one on top of the other with the palms flat, open and facing up. Glide the edges of your stacked-up index fingers along the length of the calf in an up-and-down stroking motion.
Tags: calf muscle, with your, your thumbs, Achilles tendon, length calf, should rest