Two types of tight Gastrocs - Physiological tighteness Vs Neurological tightness

This Episode delves into the difference between the two different types of soft tissue tightness , and because we are are lower extremity focussed I will be using the gastrocs as an example.

How many of your clients have persistant tight calf muscles and hamstrings ?? I would say majority of them do.

How many of your clients do calf stretches and calf raises to help with this, but after a short time the tightness comes back??

There is a reason for this !

Here is an example of physiological tightness/shortening - If I was to put your ankle in a cast or a moon boot for six - 8 weeks and take it out - then this is physiological gastroc shortening. The ankle is held at 90 degrees or less approx.  When you are walking you require 10-15 degrees of ankle dorsiflexion from perpendicular  during midstance to function efficently without compensation during midstance,   , so by holding it at 90 degrees for 6-8 weeks The old addage of "Soft tissue will adapt  to its shortest  functional length" is true.

Now neurological tightening or shortening is a different mechanism - Its a avoidance protective mechanism. So if your foot or ankle was getting wear and tear and increased stresses with or without getting pain  - the brain is going to avoid the movement .It will automatically tighten the opposing soft tissue to support/protect it. 

if we use the ankle at midstance as an example. If the anterior compartment is weak,  every time you put that foot on the ground, the brain is going to say there’s not enough strength in that anterior compartment and yet you are going to use it  -  well then  the brain says "I have to make that a little bit more protected", so it adds tightness to the posterior compartment because without anterior compartment strength, the tibia shears forward on the ankle Mortice with  every step forward.  so if Gastroc tightens up in the back, It can pull the tibia backwards and give the anterior ankle mortice protection -  so most tightness is protective neurologic tone. 

If you reduce the weakness in the anterior compartment, you facilitate the muscle immediately and , and you will see some of the range restored, and neuroloigcal gastoc stretch over time. 

Another way you can look at it is it works like a pulley system - if something is shortened  then the opposite will be lengthened ...

So if you need to stretch out the calf, and you do it through passive stretching,  what happens is you’re taking away that neurologic protection and then if you are going into the physical activity -   The brain goes "whoa what are you doing here? I made that tight for a reason, I tightened it up to protect you and then now you’ve gone and stretched it out ". What do you think will happen now ???

This then creates other issues - so instead of having tight calves, you might eventually start to get Plantar fascia issue, Posterior tibialis issues, fiorfoot issues - depoendanig on how your body compensates for this.. and everyone is different....

The bottom line is - If you have to keep stretching something over and over and over again, there’s the clue  - you’re not fixing the problem you’re just throwing a Band-Aid at it !!

BUT -  if you address the anterior compartment weakness - extensor digitorum longus and brevis , the extensor hallucis longus and brevis and  the anterior tibialis etc. you may start to improve and neurologically stretch out the posterior compartment  !

Please download the simplist foundation starter exercise which looks at addressing this issue - It is FREE and is one of the six exercises that address this issue that I regularily give to my clients, dependant on their needs.  Please download here. 

All we are trying to do with this exercise is freeing up the natural ankle and foot movement (that is supposed to occur) during normal ambulation at midstance by taking away the tightness of the gastrocs and the imbalance in the sagittal plane.