Best Calf Stretch Device
[amazon table=”3882″]Today we’re counting down our top picks for the best calf stretch device.
Tight calves can be a real pain to deal with, and they can even impact your foot and ankle health too.
If you regularly experience tightness in your calves – which many of us do – it’s in your best interests to stretch them out on a daily basis.
To simplify the process, you should consider investing in a calf stretcher which makes it easy and even fun to stretch out your calves with a broad range of motion.
Here are our top picks…
👑 Our Pick for Best Calf Stretch
[amazon box=”B015D9VG14″ title=”Foot Rocker by Vive” description=”If you want the best calf stretch device out there at an affordable price, the Vive Foot Rocker is your only option. This device is highly effective for treating ankle, calf, and foot pain, and its ergonomic design ensures it’s safe to use for the user.”]⭐ Our Other Top Picks for Calf Stretch
- Best of the Best: Foot Rocker by Vive
- Runner Up: ProStretch Foot Rocker
- Best Portable: StrongTek Portable Slant Board
Best Calf Stretch Device Reviews
Foot Rocker by Vive (👑 Best of the Best)
The best calf stretch device in our view is the Foot Rocker from Vive, which targets the arches of the feet, the ankles, and the calves.
If you’re looking for a calf stretcher that’s both easy to use and budget-friendly, you won’t be disappointed with this one. What’s more, it’s incredibly effective, and its status as a #1 Bestseller on Amazon backs this up. Previous customers of the Vive Foot Rocker rave about the quality of the product, specifically praising it for its ease of use, and help with deep stretching that can alleviate plantar fasciitis and tendonitis in the Achilles.
The Foot Rocker has been designed to provide a gentle rocking motion to carefully stretch out the foot to boost circulation and reduce fatigue. The Foot Rocker can also work wonders for the muscles in the lower leg, as well as tendons and ligaments, which can help prevent injury going forward. This makes the Foot Rocker effective for dealing with pain and discomfort associated with conditions that affect the feet and ankles such as plantar fasciitis, arch pain, and ankle strain. You can even increase the range of motion and flexibility of your lower leg by regularly using the Foot Rocker.
Vive also takes ergonomics seriously, knowing that it’s imperative that the user feels safe and comfortable while using the calf stretching device. One of the biggest problems devices such as this one suffer from is slippy surfaces. This problem applies to three parts of the device: the surface, the bottom, and the frame. If you are trying to gently stretch out your calves and feet, but every time you step foot on the device you slip off, or worse, the device slips out from under your foot, this is neither safe for you nor helping you in any way. Vive address this common issue with an anti-slip rocker design, which comes in the form of nonslip rubber strips on the bottom of the foot rocker, a raised heel plate that locks the heel in place, and nonslip treads on the surface.
Another neat feature of the design of this calf stretch device is the mid-foot gap, which enables the user to develop ankle strength as they rock the foot back and forth. So essentially what you are getting with this one affordable device is a whole workout, a deep range of stretching, and pain relief in the feet, ankles, and calves. Plus, if you aren’t satisfied that the device lives up to its claims, then you can ask for your money back with the Vive lifetime guarantee. If all that wasn’t enough, the Foot Rocker also comes with a bonus spike ball, which can be incredibly useful for working into muscle knots all over the body and stretching out tired feet.
Features:
- Ergonomic design
- Non-slip rubber strips and treads
- Raised heel plate
- Include spike ball
- Vive lifetime guarantee
ProStretch Foot Rocker (🥈 Runner Up)
The ProStretch Foot Rocker is a close second to the Vive Foot Rocker in our view, offering a comfortable calf stretching experience to the user. Plus, if you’re interested in getting an even deeper stretch, ProStretch has a Plus model and a Double model that you can graduate to when you feel ready.
While this device may be a touch more expensive than that of Vive, it is a medically proven and trusted device that is used in physical therapy clinics around the world. It’s an excellent option if you’re serious about keeping your calves supple, and your feet pain-free. This device is said to be more effective than conventional methods of stretching out with a curb or with the floor.
Regular use of the ProStretch Foot Rocker – ideally daily – can help reduce pain caused by a number of nasty problems in the feet and ankles such as plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, and sever’s disease. The device can even be used to work out tight hamstrings and help relieve discomfort experienced with shin splints too. So the ProStretch Foot Rocker is ideal for a full lower leg stretch out, whatever it is that ails you.
Like the Vive device, ProtStretch takes user safety seriously, as shown with its ergonomic design. This design includes advanced rubber strips on the bottom to prevent moving and sliding, so you shouldn’t need to worry about losing your balance and falling while using it. It is also an incredibly durable device, with a recommended weight limit of up to 250 lbs. This should put your mind at ease when you put your weight into the Foot Rocker, as it should withstand the pressure. It’s also a portable device, perhaps even more so than the Vive Foot Rocker, which means you can take it with you to the gym, the park, or even on trips.
The ProStretch Foot Rocker is trusted by physical therapists, and this is largely due to the fact that it has been biomechanically engineered for the human foot. ProStretch has calculated the optimum stretching angle necessary to relieve pain and discomfort in the lower leg, and through the back heel plate and slip resistance pads ensure that the user’s foot stays in place throughout a deep range of motion.
Features:
- Medically proven and trusted
- Advanced rubber slips
- Durable design
- Portable
- Max user weight 250lbs
- Shoe size up to 12
StrongTek Portable Slant Board (⭐ Best Portable)
Heading in a different direction, we’d like to turn your attention to what we believe is the best portable calf stretch device: the StrongTek Slant Board.
If portability is a priority for you, and you want to be able to stretch out your calves whether you’re at home, the gym, or away on a trip, you should strongly consider this compact device from StrongTek. To describe the appearance of this device, it looks somewhat like an open mouth, with springs keeping the top plate from touching the bottom. As you might have already guessed, to use this device you simply have to stand on the spring-loaded device to get a deep stretch in the calves.
The incline board is adjustable to four different positions, so you can find the perfect depth for your calf stretch, to alleviate anything from mild to severe discomfort. The lowest setting is 20° and from there it goes up to 30°, 40°, and the most intense setting is at an angle of 45°. This is great since it allows you to tailor the calf stretch to how you feel at any given moment. After all, the pain and discomfort in the lower leg associated with being sedentary all day is different in intensity than that of standing and walking all day. As well as targeting the calf and relieving discomfort from tightness, this slant board from StrongTek also helps with Achilles tendon injuries, shin splints, and other ankle injuries.
The design of the device is ergonomic and anti-slip. The textured surface of the board makes it a non-slip device, and the plastic and rubber lip for the heels will prevent you from falling off as you use the device. But perhaps the greatest part of this calf stretch device is how easy it is to carry around. The popularity of this device is largely a result of its portability. Offering the benefits of a large heavy wooden slant board, this lightweight foot slant board is easy to transport just about anywhere, so you can get lower leg pain relief wherever you are. There’s also a 100% 30-day money-back guarantee offered by StrongTek, in case you are unsatisfied with the results of using the device within the first month.
Features:
- Portable
- Non-slip design
- 4 adjustable angles
- 100% 30-day money-back guarantee
Ultimate Guide
If you’ve had enough of tight calves, sore feet, and aching ankles, then it might be time to invest in a calf stretch device.
However, not all devices will produce the results you’re looking for.
To determine which one is best for you, you must first figure out what exactly you want from the device, taking into account key factors such as portability, and ergonomics.
Ergonomics
The ergonomics of a calf stretch device is monumentally important since you could cause yourself some real harm if the device isn’t optimized for ergonomics.
Ergonomics refers to how the device adapts to the human foot, and how it keeps the process of using the device safe for the user.
With calf stretch devices, the most important ergonomic features to look out for are non-slip parts.
While using something like a foot rocker, one issue is that your foot could slip off during use due to a slippery surface. Or, perhaps worse still, the device itself can slip due to a poor base surface which could lead to a nasty fall.
So ideally when looking for a calf stretch device you should look for something which has some form of anti-slip surface where you place your feet, and on the bottom of the device. But you might also like to have a secure heel holder in the back, as this will keep your foot locked in place as you use the device.
Portability
One of the most important factors for many people will be the portability of the calf stretch device.
While this may not be quite as essential as the effectiveness of the device, portability is key.
This is because warding off tightness in the calves, and pain in the feet and ankles isn’t something you can just do once in a while and hope to feel better.
Stretching out the lower legs is something you need to do on a daily basis if you expect to notice a difference in how you feel or alleviate pain associated with conditions such as plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis.
As a result, you’ll need a device you can use every day, wherever you are.
For some people having a calf stretch device in the house is all that’s necessary, in which case a compact design or portability doesn’t need to be a priority.
However, if you’re someone who moves around a lot or travels for work, you might find that it’s best to consider portable calf stretch devices that you can take with you.
We believe the most portable device you’re likely to find that can aid with lower leg pain and discomfort is the StrongTek Slant Board, but it also depends on what your preferences are, and how big a device you can feasibly travel with.
Size
The last important factor we’d like to draw your attention to is size.
Though we’re not referring to the size of the device as much as we are the size of your feet.
Foot rockers are very clever devices that are designed with mid-foot gaps which is perfect for standard sized feet.
However, if you have larger than average feet, you might find that while using the device you don’t get as deep a stretch as you might like.
Part of the reason the foot rocker works so well is that it is biomechanically engineered for the human foot, but if your foot is larger than the device was intended to work with, it can throw off the science and lead to poor results.
Equally, with other calf stretch devices such as the StrongTek slant board, users with larger feet might run into the same problems.
While the portable incline board from StrongTek is a wonderfully compact device that has to be that way in order to be easy to transport, its small size also makes it more challenging to use for users with large feet.
The trouble here is that if your foot is too big for the device, you could find yourself in a situation where a part of your foot hangs over the edges of the board as you use it.
While you might still get some pain relief out of it this way, this isn’t optimal for ergonomics, and could even lead to further discomfort in the lower leg so may not be worth the risk.
If you do have large feet, then it might be worth your while to search for devices that can accommodate a bigger foot, like perhaps a large slant board or foot rocker.
Frequently Asked Questions About Calf Stretch Devices
What are the best calf stretches?
Hands-down the best stretch you can perform for your calf is up against a wall.
Stand with your hands outstretched touching the wall in front, and stand with the knee of your front leg bent and the rear leg out behind you; you should feel a deep stretch in your rear leg calf.
If you want to be able to stretch your calves out even more effectively, your best bet is to invest in a good calf stretcher device.
How do you use a calf stretcher?
Many calf stretchers like our top pick from Vive features a rocking design, and is intended to stretch out your calf with a broad range of motion.
To use a device like this one, you simply have to place your foot in the cradle and gently rock it back and forth.
You should feel a deep stretch in your ankle, calf, and foot stretch as you rock the foot back and forth.
How long should I stretch my calf?
Generally speaking, you should try to stretch your calf out for 30 seconds at a time.
Stretching out your calves is something you should try to do at least once a day since they can get extremely tight from walking around or even just standing in place.
If using a calf stretcher, make sure to read the instructions before you use it, to know exactly how long it’s recommended that you use it for.
A Final Word from Wellness Nova
A calf stretcher can be an excellent aid that can help you keep your calf muscles loose and supple, and relieve them of the tightness that inevitably builds up on a daily basis.
When it comes to choosing the calf stretcher that’s best for you, consider factors such as portability, ergonomics, and features such as an anti-slip design.
