FULCRUMS FOR GASTROCNEMIUS AND SOLEUS

“Much joy can be attributed to gastrocnemius and soleus, the primary muscles utilized in leaping up toward the sky and moving forward on the earth.  The ancients revealed the origins of the “twin bellies” of gastrocnemius, which begin on bottom of the thigh bone, and that of the little “fish”, the soleus, on the back of fibula and tibia.  Both, with classical abandon, run down and unite with the great Achilles in the tendon leading to the heel bone, the noble Calcaneus.” - Cicero 

The following technique used in Deep Massage, applied with gentleness and slowly, can free your body and soul to dance with greater spontaneous abandon.

This work needs, as in all of what I teach as “deep massage”, to avoid any touch that could be injurious or painful for the client, and to cultivate a deeply good feeling.

Reminder of the origins of gastronemius - lateral head: posterolateral aspect of lateral condyle of the femur; medial head: posterior surface of medial femoral condyle and popliteal surface of femoral shaft

Have client prone, and therapist standing alongside lower leg, facing toward the head.

Gently contact the ankle and bend the knee to 90º. Let the ankle then rest and relax on your shoulder.

Now, with your thumbs, find the tendons of the hamstrings on the medial and lateral lower thigh.

Bring the medial thumb just a tad lateral of the tendon of semimembranosus.  Bring the lateral thumb just medial of the tendon of biceps femoris.  Though you may not feel them, you should now be pressing gently into the origins of the gastrocnemius. 

You MUST avoid working in the center of the posterior knee where important vessels and nerves run.

Now take out the looseness pressing gently and posteriorly into the origins of gastrocnemius, Maintaining your attention and pressure, begin to mobilize the lower leg, by swaying with your torso.  Spontaneously “unwind” the back of the knee with gentle circular movements, clock-wise and counter-clock-wise.  See if you can impart a feeling of freedom to the knee movement.  After a short while you may feel you’re working into the knee rather than just above it.  Enjoy the communication of freedom, then gently cease the movement and clearly disengage, setting the lower leg down in length.

Follow this fulcrum with careful and enthusiastic petrissage and comfortably deep effleurage down the full length of the lower leg beginning just below the knee.  With this effleurage, when you begin to feel the beginning of the Achilles tendon, slow down.  Tendons have less circulation than muscle bellies so they are affected more slowly.  Know, due to the proprioceptors in and near the tendon, that you can, with slowness, thoughtfulness and enthusiasm here, have a dramatic effect on how the client may subsequently experience their freedom to leap and run.

Lastly a whimsical page from my first book, “Putting the Soul Back in the Body.”