Foot/calf massager recommendations?

juju

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 19, 1999
I’m trying to think of a birthday present for my husband. He presently uses a roller on his calves that seems to work fine for him. However, he was recently seen by a doctor for calf pain (that was after a return from WDW and a 6 hour flight and we were concerned about the potential for a clot - negative) and then had a steroid injection in his right 5th toe due to pain and difficulty walking (after same trip and several runs on property). He already uses a spacer between a couple of toes on his other foot. Terrible heel spurs from years of playing soccer but they’ve decided not to do anything about those. He’s 65yo and jogs daily. He uses a good Brooks shoe that he tracks his miles on and changes as necessary. Any recommendations or is there no need for anything fancy? I don’t want to spend more than $200.
 
I have found that a percussion massager does a much better job working out calf muscle issues than a roller. It can be hard to generate enough force on the calf to get efficient work done on them. Even a spring loaded massager like the R8 can be difficult because of the need to stay off of the shin. The percussion massager delivers an intense massage to a highly localized area and is great for calves.

Another thing you might consider is finding a PT who can dry needle. Have them release the calves through dry needling and then maintain the benefit with a home massager.
 
I agree with @camaker that a percussion massager is helpful. My wife bought one this year and it has been very good for targeting specific areas.

My personal preference is an experienced deep tissue/sports massage therapist. I see one every couple of weeks and she does a fantastic job of finding and targeting problem areas. She was also great after I fractured my spine 18 months ago. They can be hard to find, so I always ask runners for referrals. I tried a couple of the large chain massage places but they never seem to have someone willing to inflict the needed pain to get results 😀
 
While not as targeted as the percussion massagers- the Black & Decker orbit buffer does wonders as a massager. They use to sell a version at the expos called a BFF (endorsed by Galloway) that was around $300, the B&D one is $38 from Amazon. I use it all the time on my calves! You can turn it on the edge to get a bit deeper.
Adding a daily magnesium supplement (malate or glycinate) also helps a ton with calf pain- most of us are deficient. When I miss a few days- my calves tighten up again.
 



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