Lower back pain The role of the calf muscles

Lower back pain The role of the calf muscles

Lower back pain causes calf muscle pain and tension, and the calf muscles play a large role in the development and maintenance of lower back pain. These calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) are usually tight in most people, especially women who wear high-heeled shoes. Calf muscle cramps are extremely painful and often wake people up while they sleep. These spasms are a warning that there are nerve-related muscle problems due to spinal nerve root involvement in the lower back. This is usually the case if you have calf muscle tension and frequent night cramps, even if you have no complaints of lower back or lower limb pain.

There are three calf muscles, two of which are called the gastrocnemius muscles (internal and external muscles, called medial and lateral respectively) and the third is called the soleus muscle.

The gastrocnemius arises from the lower part of the femur just above the knee. The soleus muscle arises from the leg bones known as the tibia and fibula and does not cross the knee joint. All three muscles are inserted into the heel bone through the heel cord. The tibial nerve supplies the internal gastrocnemius muscle (medial) primarily with S1 nerve root fibers and the external gastrocnemius muscles (lateral) with L5 nerve root fibers (primary) and the soleus primarily with S1 nerve fibers.

The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles are primarily responsible for flexing the ankle and foot downward so that the toes can point toward the ground. However, when the foot is flat on the floor, such as when sitting, squatting, or squatting, the gastrocnemius muscles can flex the knee but not the soleus. Those who have tightness in the calf muscles will find that they cannot place their heels flat on the floor.

While walking, people with tight calf muscles are unstable and at risk of falling because it is difficult to strike the heel on the ground. They also have difficulty with the push-off phase of the walking movement. The only muscle that is active when standing relaxed is the soleus muscle. It is responsible for stabilizing the leg so that the weight line can fall in front of the knee. Otherwise the knee can buckle.

Tight calf muscles play an important role in causing and aggravating lower back pain because the stress on the lower back muscles increases. Because these calf muscles are chronically tight, it is very difficult to reduce or relieve spasms in these muscles. In addition, there is also nerve-related muscle tension and weakness in these muscles due to aging of the L5 and S1 spinal nerve roots.

To make the situation worse, the muscles that lift the foot and ankle off the ground in front of the leg are chronically weak. The weakness is primarily nerve-related in origin, as these muscles are supplied by the L5 nerve root, the most commonly injured nerve root. The injury or irritation is due to the presence of degenerative arthritis of the spine, disc herniation, bulging disc, etc. The L5 nerve root fibers are transmitted primarily through the peroneal nerve, which is also susceptible to trauma from common crossing of the knees and/or ankle formation. The foot and ankle dorsiflexors are even weaker.

Therefore, to treat calf muscle tension, the muscles in the front of the leg, called the dorsiflexor muscles of the foot and ankle, must be treated before treating the calf muscles. The dorsiflexor muscles of the foot and ankle undergo chronic prolonged contractions during walking. Therefore, selective activation of these muscles by inducing shortening contractions is required. Walking on heels is one of the ways to shorten the contractions of the foot and ankle dorsiflexors.

Optimal treatment of tense calf muscles cannot be limited to symptomatic treatment of the calf muscles. Treatment must include treating the root cause of the narrowing, which is root problems of the spinal nerve, primarily at the L5 and S1 levels.

All related muscles that are constantly subjected to prolonged contractions must be treated. The return of strength to these muscles is achieved by shortening contractions. Treatments must include treatment of the spinal extensor muscles, gluteus maximus, adductor magnus, tensor fascia lata, rectus femoris, and foot and ankle dorsiflexors. Selective activation of these muscles is most effective through motor point stimulation using the eToims Twitch Relief method.

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