Running- avoiding tightness in calves

pavrg

What am I doing wrong or could I do different? Is there a way that I'm running improperly?

Run more often.

pcastagner

That piqued my interest as a biology major (and someone who has heard soreness comes from lactic acid buildup), so I read up on it.

Dr. Brooks' thesis for his research (which was published in 1985, not 2006) was not on muscle soreness, but on fatigue/failure. He was challenging the coaches that said "Don't work too hard, your lactic acid will build up and then you won't be able to perform." He was challenging the idea that lactic acid buildup caused muscle failure in athletes, not the idea that it caused soreness in untrained athletes. It is a subtle, but distinct, difference. Following the rabbit hole, I found that even his studies identified that trained people were more efficient at utilizing lactic acid in muscles. This supports Dr. Brooks' hypothesis that it is a muscular fuel, but it does not refute that it contributes to DOMS in untrained people.

As for Dr. Gladden's claim, there have been experiments that measured elevated lactic levels in muscles several hours after workouts, and most researchers tend to agree that DOMS comes from a combination of unused lactic acid and an influx of lymphocytes and blood flow to repair tissue that the body is not used to having to repair.

So in summary: Don't just quote NYT articles. The journalist writing the article is giving you his interpretation of the results. In a scientific study, the details he may gloss over or the different diction he may use matters A LOT. Also, any journalist could find a guy with a PhD trying to push his research. What matters is if his methods are sound and if his results are able to be reproduced.

There just isn't any positive evidence that would anyone applying the scientific method to conclude lactic acid is related to DOMS, sorry. The mechanism has been sought after for years. It never materialized. Basically, you are saying "prove it isn't true", while having no evidence to back it in the first place. The ONLY evidence any one has is the past beliefs of others. Which isn't evidence at all.

You don't need me to post anything beyond the New York Times article. This info is all over the place. Go do some research and satisfy yourself.

This makes me think back and chuckle at advice I once got from a trainer to avoid milk. You know, because, lactic acid. He never mentioned sauerkraut or kimchi, both loaded with lactic acid.

pcastagner

Hmm. Looks like I have a lot of reading up to do. Also berateing my chemistrye professors for perpetuation of old sscience if indeed I find these claims of lactate as fuel to be true.

Weird stuff gets taught in schools. I was a student in the 90's, and I was taught that gravity is a force of attraction between two bodies that have mass. Well over half a century after Einstein figured out Newton had to be wrong.

ayalowich

Stretching is great, but the effects don't last long, so if you have chronically tight calves, i'd wear a night splint, to stretch the calves the entire time you sleep. Choose one that adjusts incrementally to angles smaller than 90 degrees, like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-Plantar-Fasciitis-Splint-Medium/dp/B006L8N71Y

I'd also wear shoes with a low heel (< 6 mm heel-to-toe drop). The low heel allows your calves to stretch farther each time your heel hits the ground, which relaxes the calves. Most shoes have a raised heel, which has the opposite effect.
It's good to transition to lower-heeled shoes cautiously, to avoid injuries.

This advice is totally false. Wearing shoes with a lower heel drop will hurt your calves more than help them. It is a known problem and you should be very careful if you are wearing these. I'm back to a 8mm drop and not having any problems.

I've run for close to 30 years and for the most part haven't had significant calf issues (once or twice) until I started running in Newtons and other lower heeled shoes. They killed my calves and I was out for 7 weeks after one injury. I threw those shoes away very quickly as have many others who have tried this.

Also, calf sleeves may look terrible, but they do help. Fortunately i've weaned myself off them but they do help and give you confidence and support.

Finally, deep massage will help. My calves are still very tight, but fortunately I am married to an LMT who takes care of me.

conniedj

I have always suffered from super tight soleus. I find that that once soleus is tight, it creates a domino effect with Achilles and Plantar Fascia. It has always manifested in a feeling that I was developing shin splints. Now that I know it is due to the bio dynamics of my body. What I do? Roller ball calves...achilles.....plantar fascia after exercise. I can stretch a bit when I am really warm--but stretching doesn't quite reach the deep muscles to help release them like the roller ball does. My 2 cents! HTH!

Nmt100

Although wearing a low drop (less than 6mm) is associated with greater calf pain if you go too fast, if you transition slowly they make such a difference. I started running in Feb and started having serious calf pain once I finished c25k and was moving up to 10k. My friend is a bare foot runner and kept nagging me about getting lower drop shoes because I was heel striking. I completely ignored her until I hobbled over the line of my 2nd 10k and went straight to see the sports Physio. They said my trainers had such a big drop that I had no choice but to heel strike and that was causing the pain. I bought some 4mm drop shoes and started running again from scratch, literally doing a km or less and really focusing on my form (mid-foot strike, feet underneath me, etc) and stretching routine after my run. I'm currently back up to 8k and am completely calf pain free.

QuietBloom

I would incorporate more magnesium into your diet. Make sure you are meeting your calcium needs as well. Whenever hubby starts to cramp up, I make him take a 250mg magnesium supplement. Works like a charm.

pavrg

There just isn't any positive evidence that would anyone applying the scientific method to conclude lactic acid is related to DOMS, sorry. The mechanism has been sought after for years. It never materialized. Basically, you are saying "prove it isn't true", while having no evidence to back it in the first place. The ONLY evidence any one has is the past beliefs of others. Which isn't evidence at all.

You don't need me to post anything beyond the New York Times article. This info is all over the place. Go do some research and satisfy yourself.

This makes me think back and chuckle at advice I once got from a trainer to avoid milk. You know, because, lactic acid. He never mentioned sauerkraut or kimchi, both loaded with lactic acid.

Doing a quick search, there is general consensus that DOMS arises from a combination of unused lactic acid paired with an influx of auto-immune response to the area of muscle wear. You are correct that the exact micro-mechanism is unknown, and that is mostly because we don't have instruments that can objectively measure soreness and pain.

I'm not asking you to prove a negative; you posted that the general consensus was actually wrong and then cited what you thought was a study that refuted this claim when in fact, it did not.

The fact that you also think Einstein's work proves Newton's work to be 'wrong' demonstrates that you have no understanding of science whatsoever.

pcastagner

(Face palm)

sami_83

I find that stretching my calves before I run prevents a lot of the soreness. When I started c25k my calves were really tight and sore after every run. So now before running I stand on a step and dip my heels a few times, and I also do a lunge type thing around the house which looks ridiculous but definitely helps. Now I've finished c25k and my calves are always a-ok :drinker: