Muscle of the week- Gastrocnemius

Muscle of the week- Gastrocnemius

the calf muscle

Gastrocnemius forms the major bulk at the back of lower leg and is a very powerful muscle. It is a two joint and also has two heads and runs from back of knee to the heel.  ( like the biceps )

• it originates or starts at the femur

• it inserts or ends at the foot

The gastrocnemius with the soleus, is the main plantarflexor of the ankle joint. The muscle is also a powerful knee flexor. It is not able to exert full power at both joints simultaneously, for example when the knee is flexed, gastrocnemius is unable to generate as much force at the ankle. The opposite is true when the ankle is flexed.

• When running, walking or jumping the gastrocnemius provides a significant amount of propulsive force. Consider the amount of force required to propel the body into the air, triceps surae can generate a lot of force.