At a glance

The wall stretch for the calf, done twice on each side: once with the back knee straight and once with it bent. Straight reaches the gastrocnemius, bent reaches the soleus and the Achilles below it.

What it works

Primary muscles

Gastrocnemius, with the back knee straight
Soleus, with the back knee bent

Also involved

Achilles tendon, lengthened in both versions
Plantar fascia, when the toes are propped upwards

Equipment: A wall. A step or a rolled towel for the variations.

How to do it

1
Stand facing a wall with your hands on it at shoulder height, and step one foot back about a stride length.
2
Point both feet straight at the wall and keep the back heel pressed down throughout. A heel that lifts is the commonest reason this stretch feels like nothing.
3
Keep the back knee straight and take your hips towards the wall until you feel a firm pull through the belly of the back calf. Hold for 30 seconds, breathing.
4
Now bend the back knee slightly, heel still down, and bring the hips a little further forward. The pull drops lower, towards the ankle and the Achilles. Hold for 30 seconds.
5
Swap sides and repeat both versions, two or three times through.

How much to do

2 to 3 holds of 30 seconds, each version, each side

Daily, and for heel pain before your first steps in the morning

For plantar heel pain, doing this plus a gentle pull back on the toes while still sitting on the edge of the bed often takes the edge off within days. It is a symptom tool though: the loaded calf raises are what change the tissue.

Stop and get assessed if

Stop and get assessed if the stretch produces pain at the back of the heel rather than a pull through the calf, or pins and needles, numbness or burning into the sole, which points at a nerve rather than a tight muscle. A calf that is suddenly painful, swollen or hot at rest needs same day medical review, not stretching.

Common mistakes

The back heel lifting off the floor: Once the heel lifts, the stretch is happening at the toes and the front of the ankle rather than in the calf. Shorten the stance until the heel stays flat, then lengthen it again over the weeks.
Turning the back foot outwards: It feels like more range and is really the arch collapsing inwards, which loads the tissue under the foot instead of lengthening the calf. Point both feet straight at the wall.
Only doing the straight knee version: The straight knee version reaches the gastrocnemius and stops there. The soleus and the lower Achilles only lengthen with the knee bent, and those are the parts most often involved in heel pain.
Bouncing into the stretch: Bouncing makes the muscle contract protectively, which is the opposite of the point. One still 30 second hold does more than twenty pulses.
Stretching hard enough to hurt: A firm pull, around five out of ten, is the target. Pain makes the tissue guard, and any range gained that way has usually disappeared again within the hour.

Making it harder

Lengthen the stance gradually while keeping the heel flat, which is the honest way to gain range.
Stand with the ball of the foot on the edge of a step and let the heel drop below it, straight knee first and then bent, which reaches further than the wall allows.
Prop the toes on a rolled towel or a book so they are bent upwards, which brings the tissue under the foot into the stretch alongside the calf.

Making it easier

Sit on the edge of the bed with a towel looped around the ball of the foot and pull gently towards you. This is the version to use before your first steps in the morning.
Use a shorter stance and hold for 15 seconds, building the time before the range.

Calf Stretch