16/03/2026
This is an example of how your body compensates.
This is a patient with a back injury doing a single leg calf raise.
What I see? A back pained patient USING his back to assist with a single leg calf raise.
Why? Turns out that 20 years ago he ruptured his achilles tendon and didn’t do a great job of rehabbing after surgery. His left calf is significantly smaller and weaker than the right side. So, he’s compensating for that weak calf by using his back to help with the movement.
If you continually use your back for movement that should be performed by another joint/muscle - your back is going to complain!
This happens so often in back pain, people don’t even realize how much they USE their back for EVERYTHING!
Movement matters. And getting the right body part to do the job matters!
So - instead of getting him to continue with single leg calf raises that he’s cheating and using his back for - we are going to change the exercise for him. Double leg calf raises - transfer weight onto the left leg and do a tempo/controlled eccentric lower to help build strength and keep the focus on the calves instead of continuing to load his back.
