How to Protect Your Legs from Varicose Veins

Health News
Written by A_Smith
March 16, 2022

Varicose veins are becoming all too common for adults. A study shows that 23% of US adults have it, with women being more likely to develop it than men.

Given that varicose veins do not naturally go away over time, many have turned to doctors, surgeons, and specialists from different vein clinics to eliminate them.

But, although treatments and surgeries are effective, you still have to keep in mind that varicose veins can reoccur or even worsen without proper care. So to help you protect your legs from varicose veins, we have listed a few things that you need to take note of as well as some helpful tips to prevent it from worsening.

Contents

Risk Factors

It is no secret that having varicose veins can sometimes be embarrassing and unpleasant to look at; so it should not come as a surprise that many vein clinics are now starting to open up across the country. There are ones like Elite Vein Clinic and many more who strive to help patients overcome this embarrassment by completely eliminating their patients’ varicose veins.

In line with that, many vein clinics are popping up because experts know that you cannot completely avoid varicose veins. The best thing that you can do is to equalize the risk factors and avoid putting yourself in situations where you become more prone to varicose veins.

So to help you do that, the best place to start is to know the risk factors for varicose veins.

According to John Hopkins Medicine, increasing pressure in your veins can cause and make you more prone to varicose veins. That said, some of the factors that may contribute to this increased pressure are

obesity;
older age;
sudden hormonal changes;
having an inactive lifestyle;
being immobile for too long;
Pregnancy;
leg injury; and

Looking at the list above, some are quite obvious and you can already deduce what you should do to avoid varicose veins.

For example, obesity increases pressure in your legs, making you more prone to varicose veins. With that in mind, the best recourse of action is to simply control your weight, eat healthily, and try to increase your energy to maintain a consistent workout routine.

But, other than the risk factors cited above, some experts also suggest doing the following.

Avoid Too Much Sodium

One of the preventive measures that some experts suggest is avoiding too much sodium. The main reasoning behind this is that salt causes your body to retain more water. And when you have too much of it, your blood volume increases. This, in turn, puts more pressure on your venous system, making you more prone to develop varicose veins.

While there is no conclusive data that studies the direct impact of sodium on your varicose veins, avoiding too much salt is still great advice that would not do any harm to your body. Besides, there is countless research showing the adverse effect of too much sodium in our bodies.

So apart from its benefits to your venous system, avoiding too much salt can also have a positive impact on your overall health.

Avoid Excessive Straining Exercise

There are vein specialists that suggest against excessive straining exercise like heavy resistance training. Instead, they often recommend people with varicose veins to stick to light or low-impact exercises. This way, you can avoid inflaming your venous wall from strenuous exercise.

An example of low-impact exercises are cycling, walking, and swimming. Other than that, you can also develop the habit of elevating your legs every once in a while. Since varicose veins are sometimes accompanied by other symptoms such as leg pain, fatigue, and edema, elevating your legs for at least 15 minutes or so can help alleviate discomfort and relieve these symptoms.

It is also mentioned before that one of the risk factors of varicose veins is being immobile for too long. So if you are traveling long distances, try to look up a few simple leg exercises and stretches that you can do while you are on the commute. This way, you can avoid pressure build-up in your legs.

Conclusion

To put it simply, you cannot avoid varicose veins forever. However, there are lots of things that you can do in order to minimize its risk factor and make you less likely to develop it.

But all in all, you have to remember that varicose veins are completely normal and it is often not a serious medical condition. That said, do not be too embarrassed about it. Besides, you can simply see your vein doctor if you want to have it permanently remove anytime.

Read Also: