*GASTROC STRETCHING* . . . ❓ What is it? . The #gastrocnemius muscle is one of the two primary muscles of #plantarflexion . It has 2 heads, and is located in the back of the lower leg. The heads attach from either side of the lower femur (medial and lateral supracondylar surfaces) to the back of the heel bone (the calcaneus, via the #Achilles tendon). It allows us to push off from the ball of our foot, and has an effect on tilt through the rear foot, but due to its attachment on the femur, also acts in flexing and rotating the knee. . ♥️ So, why this stretch? . When it comes to #remedialexercise , textbook stretches are great, but people don't often fit textbook. I've had a few patients where reversing the order of challenge in calf stretching seemed to feel more useful to them... So that means I have to shut up, and adapt! This is one of the variations that one of my patients felt was the most effective for them (and yes, we ruled out hamstrings 😉) and seems to have been their single most relieving daily exercise. . ‼️ Be careful! . While an argument can be made that this is an open kinetic chain exercise, it's still loaded. We should generally try to avoid loading into hyper extension at any joint as we're more vulnerable in that position. . . .