The calf (: calves;
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
: ''sura'') is the back portion of the lower leg in
human anatomy
Human anatomy (gr. ἀνατομία, "dissection", from ἀνά, "up", and τέμνειν, "cut") is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the human body. Anatomy is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Gross ...
. The muscles within the calf correspond to the
posterior compartment of the leg. The two largest muscles within this compartment are known together as the
calf muscle and attach to the
heel via the
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
. Several other, smaller muscles attach to the
knee
In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...
, the
ankle
The ankle, the talocrural region or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The ...
, and via long
tendons to the
toes.
Etymology
From
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...
''calf'', ''kalf'', from
Old Norse
Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
''kalfi'', possibly derived from the same Germanic root as English ''
calf'' ("young cow"). Cognate with
Icelandic ''kálfi'' ("calf of the leg"). ''Calf'' and ''calf of the leg'' are documented in use in Middle English circa AD 1350 and AD 1425 respectively.
Historically, the ''absence of calf'', meaning a lower leg without a prominent calf muscle, was regarded by some authors as a sign of inferiority: ''it is well known that monkeys have no calves, and still less do they exist among the lower orders of mammals''.
Structure
The calf is composed of the muscles of the
posterior compartment of the leg: The
gastrocnemius and
soleus (composing the
triceps surae muscle) and the
tibialis posterior. The
sural nerve
The sural nerve ''(L4-S1)'' is generally considered a pure cutaneous nerve of the posterolateral leg to the lateral ankle. The sural nerve originates from a combination of either the sural communicating branch and medial sural cutaneous nerve, ...
provides innervation.
Clinical significance
Medical condition
A disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function (biology), function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical condi ...
s that result in calf swelling among other
symptom
Signs and symptoms are diagnostic indications of an illness, injury, or condition.
Signs are objective and externally observable; symptoms are a person's reported subjective experiences.
A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature ...
s include
deep vein thrombosis
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a type of venous thrombosis involving the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein, most commonly in the legs or pelvis. A minority of DVTs occur in the arms. Symptoms can include pain, swelling, redness, and enl ...
[ page 229] compartment syndrome,
Achilles tendon rupture, and
varicose veins.
Idiopathic
An idiopathic disease is any disease with an unknown cause or mechanism of apparent spontaneous origin.
For some medical conditions, one or more causes are somewhat understood, but in a certain percentage of people with the condition, the cause ...
leg cramps are common and typically affect the calf muscles at night.
Edema also is common and in many cases idiopathic. In a small study of factory workers in good health, wearing
compression garments helped to reduce edema and the pain associated with edema.
A small study of runners found that wearing knee-high
compression stockings while running significantly improved performance.
The
circumference
In geometry, the circumference () is the perimeter of a circle or ellipse. The circumference is the arc length of the circle, as if it were opened up and straightened out to a line segment. More generally, the perimeter is the curve length arou ...
of the calf has been used to estimate selected health risks. In
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, a study of 22,000 persons 65 or older found that a smaller calf circumference was associated with a higher risk of undernutrition.
In
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, a study of 6265 persons 65 or older found an inverse correlation between calf circumference and carotid plaques.
Calf augmentation and restoration is available, using a range of
prosthesis
In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (Congenital, congenital disord ...
devices and surgical techniques.
Training and Exercise
The calves can be isolated by performing movements involving plantarflexion (pointing the toes down). The two major categories of calf exercises are those that maintain an extended knee, and those that maintain a flexed knee.
The first category includes movements such as standing calf raises, donkey calf raises and stair calves. The second category includes movements that maintain a bent knee, such as seated calf raises. Movements with a straight knee will target the gastrocnemius muscle more, and movements with a bent-knee will target the soleus muscle more. However, both variations will target both muscles to a large degree.
It is important to train the calves relatively close to failure, which is 0-4 repetitions away from technical failure. They recover quickly, often requiring rest times of as little as 10 seconds and often no more than 60 seconds. Ensuring a 1-2 second pause at the top and bottom of the movement will put more emphasis on the muscle, and less emphasis on the achilles tendon.
See also
*
Calf (disambiguation)
*
Calf raises
*
Gastrocnemius muscle
*
Human leg
The leg is the entire lower limb (anatomy), limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh or sometimes even the hip or Gluteal muscles, buttock region. The major bones of the leg are the femur (thigh bone), tibia (shin bone), and adjacent f ...
*
Sciatica
*
Shin
References
{{Authority control
Lower limb anatomy