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Tag: exercise and vein disease

Can Lymphedema Exercises for Legs Help Me?

Posted on by Texas Endovascular in ,

Are you wondering if there are lymphedema exercises for legs that will relieve swelling? We don’t blame you! After all, swollen legs aren’t just uncomfortable. They could be a sign of a serious condition called venous insufficiency. (Also called VI, this is a condition in which your veins fail to circulate blood properly, especially to your lower extremities). As a result, you may develop troubling symptoms. One common side effect of VI is edema (swelling) in your the lower legs. And when you experience edema for an extended period of time, you are more susceptible to venous ulcers, open wounds that develop on your legs as a result of increased vein pressure due to your malfunctioning venous valves.

While ulcers can be frightening, there are several ways in which we can treat these sores. First and foremost, it’s important to address the underlying cause of the problem–your venous insufficiency and edema.

To help control edema, we recommend that patients wear compression stockings; the pressure will help encourage pooling blood to flow out of your legs and back up to your heart, reducing the swelling you experience in your legs. Elevating your legs can help as well: if you put your feet up above the level of your heart, it will also encourage pooling blood to leave your legs.

But there’s two more ways we can control edema and VI, reducing your risk of venous ulcers: diet and exercise!

Dietary Changes to Prevent Swollen Legs

If you’ve noticed swelling in your legs, it’s a great time to start changing your diet! First and foremost, cut back on your salt intake. Too much sodium in your diet can lead to water retention, making your edema symptoms worsen. Keep in mind that lots of canned soups, snacks, cheeses and even pickles are high in sodium, so it’s not enough to just bypass the salt shaker.

Next up on the dietary schedule? Drink more water. While it may seem strange, increasing your fluid intake can actually help flush retained fluid from your body. So, if edema is a problem for you, grab an 8-ounce water glass and start sipping!

Not a fan of H20? While water is best, other liquids may help you fight fluid retention. Some people find benefits from sipping dandelion tea. But since this fluid can interact with your medications, you should never drink this brew without your doctor’s approval. A safer choice? Try drinking lemon water! This will add a bit of pep to your regular water. And, as an added bonus, the lemon may help flush toxins–and excess fluid–out of your body! Finally, cranberry juice can also be a helpful beverage. Packed with magnesium, potassium and calcium, cranberry juice may help maintain proper fluid balance in your body. (Plus, it could help prevent urinary tract infections!)

Now, other nutrients may also help avoid water retention, but if your edema is related to vein disease, you should discuss serious dietary changes with your vein specialist. And you should also take a look at your exercise routine!

Lymphedema Exercises for Legs to Prevent Ulcers

As long as your doctor has cleared you for physical activity, certain forms of lymphedema exercises for legs can help manage VI, edema and ulcers. Exercises that are particularly effective include:

Walk your way to a lower risk of vein disease!
  • Ankle flexions (point your toes forward, away from the body, then flex them, pulling the toes toward your shin). The exercise is even more effective if performed while standing, or with the addition of a resistance band will further enhance the effects.
  • Brisk walking intervals, scattered throughout the day, will strengthen your calf muscle, helping it contract and push blood out of your lower legs.
  • Treadmill walking, especially at an incline, if this is possible for you, will further strengthen your calf muscles. If you aren’t up to treadmill walking, you can get similar benefits from rocking in a rocking chair, pushing off the ground with your feet to rock.
  • If you already have lymphedema, swimming is an excellent choice. It works because you’re horizontal and in constant motion, without impact on your legs.
  • Riding a recumbent bike is also a good choice because you’ll keep your legs slightly elevated and in motion. But you’ll do so with little impact on your lower body.

Of course, the best way to prevent ulcers is to maintain ideal vein health. If you start to notice any signs of VI or edema, come in and schedule a diagnostic vein scan. That way, we can stay on top of your vein health before more serious problems set in.

 

Sources: thehealthsite.com, healthline.com 

Varicose Vein Risk Factors: Can I Get Them from Lifting Weights?

Posted on by Texas Endovascular in

If you’ve been worried about varicose vein risk factors, this read’s for you! Have you been hitting the gym, and you’re worried about getting varicose veins from lifting weights? If so, this is the read for you! After all, for most of us, working out is about looking and feeling better. So you’d want to know if your workout is hurting your vein health!

And worrying about weight lifting is actually legitimate. If you’ve ever done a squat with weights, you may have  noticed that your leg veins are sticking out a bit more. So, you may be concerned that the effect might be lasting, and the beginning of a permanent problem. And that’s why we’re telling you everything you need to know about lifting weights and varicose veins.   

What Are Varicose Veins?

Varicose veins are visible through your skin because of their enlarged size or darker color. These veins change color or bulge due to a build-up of excess blood, and that blood builds up because of problems with your valves.

But let’s backtrack a bit and talk about blood flow. Your veins have one important job: to carry blood from your extremities back towards your heart. When they’re working properly, the valves in your veins help blood fight gravity by closing to keep that blood from flowing back down to your legs and feet.

But when those valves aren’t working properly (a condition known as venous reflux) the blood can travel back downwards, allowing for the pooling that causes those prominent varicose veins to show up.

What Causes Venous Reflex?

A major contributing factor is genetics—if your mom or dad had varicose veins, you are more likely to experience the same problem. But other factors can play a role in vein disease. And these include advanced age, pregnancy or menopause, blood clots and obesity.

Job related hazards, like extended sitting or standing, can also contribute to this issue. Even your diet plays a role, since some unhealthy foods can impact your circulation. Plus, constipation increases your risk for varicose veins, so foods that take a toll on digestion can hurt your vein health.

And that’s not all you need to worry about. Because, as it turns out, staying in one position for too long takes a toll on your veins, too. In fact, it can lead to the same kind of blood pooling we see in people with malfunctioning valves.

Sex Differences in Varicose Vein Risk Factors

Before we return to discussing weight lifting’s impact on your vein health, let’s discuss gender as a varicose vein risk factor. For several reasons, women are more likely than men to develop this symptom of vein disease. Why is that the case?

First, only women get pregnant. (For now, at least. Who knows what medical and scientific advances we’ll see in the future?) And that matters, because pregnancy is one of the largest varicose vein risk factors, as your growing fetus and increased blood volume put lots of pressure on the valves inside your veins.

Then, there are more recent concerns that increase gender-based risk. During the COVID lockdowns, women were disproportionately chosen as the ones to stay home with out-of-school kids. And this contributed to sedentary lifestyles along with weight gain, both of which are varicose vein risk factors.

Now, exercise could actually help minimize the effects of gender risks for varicose veins. But only if you do so wisely. Which brings us back to talk of weightlifting and varicose veins.

Varicose Vein Risk Factors: Does Exercise Cause or Worsen Varicose Veins?

Here’s the good news: it doesn’t! Your veins may appear more prominent while you’re lifting weights, but it’s unlikely to be a permanent issue. In fact, regular exercise can actually decrease your chances of getting varicose veins because it helps boost your circulation.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule: lifting very heavy weights. If you are an extreme weight lifter, you may put enough pressure on your muscles and veins to cause valve damage. But, this type of problem would take time to set it, and there are easy steps you can take to prevent exercise-related vein damage.

The first step is to use proper form when lifting heavy weights, and to work with a spotter for additional safety. It’s also important to incorporate rest days into your training schedule, and it may be worthwhile to wear compression socks during lifting sessions to help protect your veins and improve your blood flow.

Of course, if you already have varicose veins and the symptoms are causing you discomfort during workouts, you may need to discuss cutting back with your doctor. But the important thing to remember is this: working out won’t cause you to experience venous reflex; it can’t make you develop varicose veins. And as long as you discuss your training plans with your vein doctor, it may even help you manage existing issues, while lessening certain symptoms of varicose veins!

What does all that mean for you? Well, if weight lifting is part of your current or future exercise plans, don’t wait until your vein health takes a hit. Be proactive, and schedule a consultation with our Houston area vein specialists, so you can stay safe and train appropriately!

Sources: Shape Magazine

 

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