Although back and shoulder massage is understandably more in demand, due to how we all hold tension in these areas, we shouldn’t neglect our legs. Leg muscles don’t usually get tense from stress and anxiety like back muscles, but exercise activities, poor posture and spending a lot of time sitting can all cause leg tension. If left unchecked, over time this tension will build up and can cause stiffness and pain in the leg muscles, tendons and joints as well as the lower back. Regular leg massage helps to keep the leg muscles relaxed and tension free, avoiding these problems.

What is muscle tightness?

The word “tight” is used to describe muscles that feel restricted and uncomfortable. This feeling may be caused by shortened muscle fibres, muscle tension, or muscle fibre adhesion (see below for more on this)

Problems associated with tightness in the major leg muscles

Quads

The “quads” is a powerful 4 headed muscle at the front of the thigh. All 4 parts of the muscle attach to the knee cap, which allows the muscle to do it’s job of extending the knee. Tension in the quads can cause the muscle fibres to pull on the knee cap, causing knee pain. It can also cause restriction when bending the knee, for example getting into a kneeling position.

Hamstrings

The hamstrings are at the back of the thigh. Their job is to flex the knee and extend the hip (take the leg behind the body). If you spend a lot of time sitting, or if you have weak glutes, your hamstrings are likely to be tight. As the hamstrings attach to the bottom of the pelvis, when they’re tight they can pull the pelvis out of alignment – causing lower back pain. Tight hamstrings also cause restricted movement, for example when bending over or kicking.

Calves

The calf muscles are at the back of the lower leg.  They take the foot into a “pointed toes” position and the larger of the two calf muscles is also involved in knee flexion. One of the main actions of the calf muscles is to push the back leg off the ground in walking and running (as shown in the picture above). If you do a lot of walking and running you may have calf tension due to repetitive strain. Another common cause of tight calves is wearing high heels. If the heel is higher than the toes, the calf muscles are forced to contract to accommodate this. Prolonged periods of time wearing high heels leads to tension and shortening of the muscles.

The calves attach to the heel via the Achilles tendon. Tightness in the calves can therefore lead to Achilles tendon problems. Tightness also makes some movements difficult. For example, you can’t squat very deeply if you’re calf muscles are tight. If they’re really tight they can even alter your walking pattern as they will pull on your heels and make it difficult to get them to touch down on the ground. 

What can leg massage do to help?

As noted above, there are 3 main reasons for muscle tightness: tension, adhesion and shortening of muscle fibres.

Tension is where muscle fibres are in a state of slight contraction and unable to relax.

Fibre adhesions are commonly known as “knots” and they’re where muscle fibres are stuck together, from previous injury, overuse or poor posture.

Muscle shortening is where the maximum length a muscle can stretch to is reduced. This is mainly due to lack of use of the muscle through its full range of movement. Most everyday movements don’t take a muscles through a wide range of movement, so unless we exercise and stretch regularly, over time the maximum length of the muscle shortens.

Massage treats muscle tension by promoting relaxation of the muscles and deep massage breaks down muscle adhesions. In the case of muscle shortening, massage stretches the fibres to a certain extent, but ideally it should be accompanied by some stretching. Stretching can be done by the therapist as part of a massage treatment, if required.

Book a leg massage

Book either a 45 minute leg massage, or a 1 hour 15 minute full body massage.

Fill out the enquiry form and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can with available appointments, alternatively contact me using any of the contact details below the form:

Phone: 07835 346476