Calf stiffness

Hi i am new here.

I have a problem with my left leg where the calf is very stiff and i am unable to straighten my leg while the ball of my foot is on the ground as the calf pulls. This is causing me to walk around with my leg bent.

If i point my toes downward then my leg straightens fine. Whilst sitting with my leg bent i can bring my toes up towards my knee fine but if i straighten my leg and try to bring my toes up i get a pulling sensation in my calf which then cramps

Can someone explain to me the mechanics of the calf, why i am able to bring my toes up when the leg is bent but not when it is straight?

Thanks

when the leg is bent past 30 ish degrees, the soleus(deep calf) will be responsible for pointing the foot down (planterflexing), when the leg is straighter the Gastrocnemius does the job. it is therefore likely that you have gastroc issues,
try a calf raise whilst standing, and then calf raise whilst sitting, this will confirm my explanation above if there is discomfort whilst standing but not whilst seated
regards
BGFL

Thanks for that

Yes seated calf raises are fine, but standing ones give pain in the left calf as my heel gets close to the floor

My pysio believes that my calf issues are caused by a trapped nerve somewhere. He said it seems like a form of sciatica although i dont get any shooting pains. Getting a lot of stiffness when i walk and sometimes the calf cramps up and i have to sit down. Having slight tingling sensation in my heel in the mornings too. Also legs feeling weak at times.

Recently been getting stiffness in the other leg also but not as bad. Had this for over 2 months now, having regular physio and my GP has given me Gabapentin to help with the cramps