The Calf Muscle Pump its importance in leg circulation To keep the lower leg circulation working and the calf muscles fresh, the muscles rely on having a constant supply of fresh blood to the tissues-blood is sent to the lower legs under pressure through the arteries and ever decreasing in size vessels called arterioles and even smaller capillaries-as the vessel size reduces the pressure taking it there also decreases.
By the time the blood reaches the feet, all the pressure has been used, and there is none left to return the blood back up the legs to the body against gravity again.
The calf muscle pump The calf muscle pump is made up of all the muscles in the legs, but the motors that provide the power for the pump are the calf muscles-these are made up of 2 basic movers.
They are soleus which is primarily used for standing upright, and gastrocnemius used for running and jumping.
As the muscles move, they increase and decrease pressure on the vessel walls (the veins) which have one-way valves in them, open to let the blood pass through them, and close to prevent the blood flowing back towards the feet Another name for this pump is the peripheral heart because it is outside the body.
The main reason to have a pump is to move used blood from the lower legs against gravity back to the body for refreshment with oxygen and other elements that the muscles need to maintain an optimum environment for efficient working.
To keep the circulation in the lower legs going, a similar volume should be pumped out of the legs as flows into them.
When the muscles are not doing their job properly they become incompetent and the pump becomes inefficient.
Problems caused by calf muscle pump inefficiency include

• Calf Muscle Fatigue
• Fresh blood reduced
• Tight calf muscles
• Poor blood return

The Legs-the calf muscles part in fatigue Activities such as standing, walking, or running and sitting can cause muscle tightness or soreness.
As the circulation slows, there is less movement of fluids; and used fluid remains trapped in the lower legs, the build up restricts the supply of fresh oxygen filled blood to the muscle tissues which they need to maintain optimum performance, without it, they quickly fatigue.
Unfortunately, you have a similar day tomorrow and are wondering how you are going to get through that when your legs have not even recovered from today.
The Calf Muscle Pump Its contribution to recovery from fatigue The calf muscle pump caused the problems because it is not working properly, it can also be made to contribute to recovery of the legs by being made to work