Reduce calf muscle? Or otherwise manage calves (not moo)

June 7, 2020 5:17 AM

Have giant calves with square muscles like the left side of this picture. This despite not having worked out kinda ever and being only averagely overweight. I don’t love the aesthetics, but I’m more concerned about function. More deets and questions inside.

I have some varicose veins and spider veins and stuff and apparently have some edema, my lower legs are most often quite swollen and if I press with my thumb against the bone the indentation remains quite a while, socks etc leave marks. My calves cramp easily and my ankles are very stiff at least in terms of forward bending. I’ve been told I have short muscle fibers (?).

This has been the case at least since 20 and I am over 40 now, am a cis woman and have for the past six months been doing CrossFit three times a week and loving it, so now all the above has more relevance. The stiffness and bulkiness in my legs as a whole but in my ankle especially limits my squats and I have some knee problems that are apparently mainly related to posture and predate the training by four months that I am trying not to exacerbate. I’ve just gotten a mild knee brace and am finding it useful. I recently tore/pulled the soleus muscle in my calf, not while training but waking to the bus after a restful weekend (although I had remarked my legs felt tight). That has taken a good while to get better and just as it did I kicked up into a handstand (!) and it popped again. So I am trying to baby things along, but I want more sustainable change.

Long story short. Can I get these calf muscles less bulky and/or hard, is thee any value to for example getting them botoxed? Should I be crushing the hell out of them with a roller? How? Would upping water or any supplements help?
Someone at the gym mentioned muscles getting “laminated” and that they needed to flush them, which sounds like bs woo but maybe describing something else that actually is a concept? It resonated in that my muscles there feel heavy and dead/inactive rather than oxygenated and vibrant/alive like my other muscles are becoming.
I am unlikely to do any stretching regimines that requires discipline because adhd. Am trying to get a habit of just 3 sun salutations of a morning and it’s not happening, but simple stuff I can add to my day while, for example in meetings or so would be great. Am trying to throw in some toe-lifts during the day to increase circulation but am lowkey worried they will further increase muscle development more than they increase blood flow.

posted by Iteki to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

Have you been to a medical doctor yet to ask about the edema? If not, that would be my first step, because it may give you a clue as to what you can do. More importantly, though, edema isn't our natural state of being and may indicate something pretty serious such as congestive heart failure.
posted by Stewriffic at 5:48 AM on June 7, 2020 [7 favorites]

How much fruit and veg is in your regular diet? Magnesium (of which there is plenty in leafy greens) and potassium (bananas) will help loosen chronically tight muscles. Bathing with Epsom salts is good too - a long soak in an Epsom salts bath will make useful amounts of magnesium diffuse in through your skin, as well as the warmth promoting circulation.

But the most direct fix I know for chronically tight muscles is having them worked over regularly by a good masseur, preferably one with a myotherapy qualification although good hands beat paper quals every time if you can't find somebody with both.
posted by flabdablet at 5:53 AM on June 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

Do you tend to put most of your weight on your toes when walking and/or standing? This can lead to large calf muscles.
posted by slkinsey at 6:22 AM on June 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

I had similar problems. Not sure which of the following contributed most to slimming down my calves and stopping the swelling - fixing my metabolism (insulin resistance, low thyroid, high testosterone), eating low glycemic index food, cardio at least thrice a week (walking mostly), losing a significant percentage of body weight. But what helped most with the tightness and pain were regular massages first, then a few months of a stretching and exercise regimen for a sprained ankle. It's been half a year since I stopped and whenever I get twinges, I just do the standing calf stretches 3-4 times per leg and I'm good for weeks. Using pain as a reminder works for me, and you can do these anywhere.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 7:20 AM on June 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

If you’re consistently working out, don’t sell yourself short on being able to incorporate stretching your calves into your routine (or at the very end). I would see a physical therapist for an evaluation -a good one can tell you which exercises would be best at stretching/lengthening so that you can avoid repeated injury.
posted by little mouth at 7:37 AM on June 7, 2020

My calves are always on the right-hand side, even when I exercised and rode my bike a lot. I was getting muscle spasms, and increased magnesium and potassium; in my case, I make muffins with nuts and dried fruit (and other ingredients for my nutritional needs) and that resolved the muscle cramps. Obviously, pay attention to staying hydrated, if your urine is darker than apple juice, drink water. Most people don't need hydration drinks; a balanced diet provides the electrolytes you need.

Be cautious about accepting medical and nutrition advice, including here, including mine. There are sports medicine docs; I'd see one. Edema is non-trivial and should be assessed.
posted by theora55 at 8:06 AM on June 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

I have the opposite problem (one calf is too small), and it’s related to my foot biomechanics—specifically the length of my toes and the way I distribute weight on my feet/toes. Have you ever met with a podiatrist or gotten orthotics made? Many issues of the legs, knees, and hips start with the feet.
posted by saltypup at 12:47 PM on June 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I do walk mainly on my toes and forefoot, I've been working on it. I also have a tendency to stand at ease with my weight all on one foot at a time. If both feet are bearing I am leaned slightly forward. I will actually talk to a medical doctor about the edema, they've always just kinda shrugged and told me to stop smoking and lose weight (their answer to everything, and then switched to blaming my mental health after I did those two things). Will try some magnesium as soon as and ask my squisher-guy if he can do some fascia mashing.
posted by Iteki at 1:51 PM on June 7, 2020

Stretch them. Stretch the crap out of them a lot. I also have big, tight calf muscles and it takes regularly stretching them on a daily basis.
posted by Anonymous at 3:21 PM on June 7, 2020

You should see a vascular specialist. It isn't normal to have edema at 20. And got a real one, not one of those vein reduction clinics that only look at your legs, if you have swelling in both legs you might have a varicose vein in your pelvis, not super uncommon in women.
posted by fshgrl at 5:37 PM on June 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

I do walk mainly on my toes and forefoot, I've been working on it.

So, this massively activates your calf muscle and, I'm betting, is responsible for most of your muscular development there. Think about it: you're basically doing a calf muscle exercise every time you walk and stand. Figuring out a way not to do that IMO will be key to reducing the size of your calves. Everyone I know who is a "toe walker" has huge calf muscles.
posted by slkinsey at 9:14 AM on June 8, 2020