How Exercise Helps Varicose Veins: 4 Activities That Work
Author: StrideCare Internal Team
Varicose veins can often leave your legs feeling heavy and painful. It may seem counter intuitive, but one of the best ways to alleviate pain and swelling and avoid more serious complications such as deep vein thrombosis and chronic venous insufficiency is to exercise. Regular exercise helps varicose veins. That and staying active is a major way to keep blood pumping throughout the body, decrease the likelihood of high blood pressure, and yes, possibly prevent varicose veins in the first place.
Regular exercise helps varicose veins, and it also assists you in losing a few pounds. For adults, the American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and to increase the amount and intensity of those exercises gradually over time.
Can Exercise Help Varicose Veins? Try These 4 Activities:
- Warm-up with walking
Not only is walking a great exercise to help with or prevent varicose veins, but it is a perfect activity to start with because it is typically safe and beneficial for people of all ages and at any fitness level. This includes individuals who are obese and/or have lived a sedentary lifestyle for many years. Walking outside on a nearby trail, in the neighborhood, on a treadmill at a leisurely pace (2-2.5 miles per hour) gets the blood flowing and your body ready for more vigorous workouts.
- Aerobic exercises
Examples of aerobic exercise that promote vein health include low-impact activities such as walking, biking, swimming, leg lifts, and yoga to gentle jogging on a softer surface and lunges. Jogging and lunges are more strenuous but ideal for working many different muscle groups in your feet and calves. Your goal should be to keep moving and to break a sweat, but a common misconception is that you must constantly be out of breath when doing aerobic exercises. This is not true. Instead, focus on getting your heart rate elevated while still being able to carry on a conversation without difficulty.
- Weight training
It’s important to note that lifting heavy weights increases pressure on your veins and is not recommended if you already suffer from varicose veins. In some cases, heavy lifting can lead to varicose veins. Therefore, this is to be considered a preventative measure. If you choose to lift weights, stick to light weights and high repetitions while targeting your legs, calves, and feet. Use slow, deliberate movements. As always, first talk to your doctor to see if you should be lifting weights, and if so, how much is safe for you.
- Cool down and stretch
Not only does exercise help varicose veins, but the purpose of a cool down is to lower your heart rate back to normal and allow your body to recover from those activities. Walking and performing steady breathing exercises is a good place to start. Finally, lightly stretching your muscles—especially those in your legs, feet, and calves—after any exercise activity improves circulation, increases flexibility, and prevents cramping after strenuous workouts.
Yes, Exercise Helps Varicose Veins, But Not by Itself
While regular exercise helps varicose veins, you shouldn’t rely on physical activity alone. Focus on eating a healthy diet, avoiding smoking, and staying away from situations where you are forced to sit or stand for prolonged periods of time. Being mindful of the signs and symptoms of varicose veins can help you prevent them and seek treatment early-on.
Varicose vein signs and symptoms include:
- Bulging large veins that are visible just under the surface of the skin
- Twisted, swollen, rope-like veins that are often blue or purple
- An achy or heavy feeling in your legs and feet
- Burning, throbbing, and swelling in your lower legs
- Worsened pain or swelling in ankles and feet after sitting or standing for a long time
- Itching around one or more of your leg veins
- Muscle cramps in your legs, particularly at night
- A minor injury to the affected area may result in longer bleeding
Varicose veins may also develop in the pelvic and vaginal areas as well as the buttocks of pregnant women. Varicose veins that appear during pregnancy may be symptomatic of venous reflux or a pelvic venous condition.
Successfully treating varicose veins disorders depends on accurate and early diagnosis of the underlying issue, in addition to prescribing the right solution based on your condition. Without proper treatment, the appearance and symptoms of varicose veins may worsen over time. Recent advances in image-guided technologies have led to the development of minimally invasive procedures to achieve these goals, helping patients avoid surgery and hospital admittances. The goal of treatment is to relieve your symptoms, reduce risk of further complications, and improve leg appearance.
Schedule an Appointment with StrideCare
At StrideCare, our board-certified physicians, medical assistants and support staff focus on providing you with the information you need to make informed decisions about your treatment options. StrideCare has long been a leader in performing leading-edge procedures to treat venous disease such as varicose veins, spider veins, restless leg syndrome, pelvic congestion syndrome, iliac vein stenosis and more—all the while providing compassionate patient care.
If you have varicose veins or questions on treatment options, the experts at StrideCare will recommend an individualized plan to help you get the best results.
Prior to starting any new treatment or questions regarding a medical condition, always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health provider. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
StrideCare serves the South Texas area including Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Round Rock, Bastrop, Brushy Creek, Cedar Park, Converse, Georgetown, Hutto, Kyle, Leander, Marble Falls, New Braunfels, Pasadena, Pearland, Pflugerville, San Marcos, Schertz, Houston, Sugar Land, Katy, Webster, Bay City, Clear Lake, Lake Jackson, The Woodlands, Universal City, Spring, Kingwood, Stafford, Conroe, Texas City, Cypress, League City, Bellaire, and more.
