Can Running Cause Varicose Vein?
Running is not the cause of varicose veins. Varicose veins are the direct result of a disruption in the flow of blood from the extremities to the heart. Once oxygenated blood circulates through your entire body through your arteries after passing through the heart, your veins return deoxygenated blood to the heart. Your veins are capable to do this with the help of one-way valves in the veins that close up and send blood upwards to the chest.
Due to a number of factors, the valves grow weak and cannot return blood to the heart as the blood then clusters in the vein, eventually expanding the vein walls outward into the protruding varicose veins.
Strengthening your calf muscle helps veins overcome the force of gravity as they send blood back to the heart. When you run, veins get an extra boost from the strong calf muscles. So it’s unlikely running will induce varicose veins if you don’t already have this. On the other hand, the pounding your veins endure when you run could worsen your symptoms if you suffer from varicose veins.
Best Exercise For Varicose Veins
Varicose veins also referred to as varicose are the enlarged, dilated veins filled with blood. These painful veins typically appear twisted, raised that have red or bluish-purple color. These happen because incompetent valves allow the blood to flow in the reverse direction to pool up. To prevent such kind of conditions, regular activity such as exercising can help. However, if the condition is getting worse, regular exercise should help in keeping the condition in check and also prevents further progressing of the condition.
Here, enlisted simple and best exercise to cure varicose veins are:
1)Walking
Walking helps in improving blood circulation, and moreover, when you walk, the muscles in your legs help push the blood via the veins, which decreases the pressure on the varicose veins. Go for an early walk daily for at least 45 minutes in a place where there is a lot of greenery so that you get fresh oxygen. If you are an aged person,walk for at least 15 minutes three times a day because continuous walking may cause faintness and may have problems in the joints.
2) Air Cycling
Cycling in the air is one of the effective exercises for the people having varicose veins. This exercise is similar to cycling but it has to be done in the air. Due to which the blood in the legs begins flowing back to the heart. The calf muscles also get strengthened, which helps the blood circulation in the varicose veins.
3) Lunges
Lunges have benefits one of which is reducing the varicose veins. This exercise strengthens the calf muscles by increasing the blood flow from the varicose vein to the heart. This exercise should not be practiced by old-aged people and also for pregnant women.
4) Ankle Rotation
Ankle rotation is the most straightforward exercise to perform. This exercise can be done by all aged group people. Ankle rotation helps in improving the circulation of blood. By rotating the ankle, the calf muscles will tighten up and it also helps the surrounding veins in pushing the blood effectively. It can be done by rotating the ankle first in the clockwise direction 20 times and then rotating it in the anti-clockwise direction. Repeat the process by changing the leg.
5) Swimming
Swimming is considered to be one of the best exercises for people having varicose veins. It is the exercise wherein the whole body performs a physical activity. There are various styles of swimming where we need to choose such types where the physical activity for leg is more, to strengthen the calf muscles. The most chosen swimming is frog-style swimming. In this swimming, we need to push the water with the legs very hard to move forward and do this for 45 minutes to see any desired results.
6) Mountain Climbers
This exercise is the most effective one but it has to be performed only in the presence of some trainers. This exercise aids to tighten the calf muscles which allows the surrounding veins to push the blood to the heart.
7) Leg Lifts
Leg lifting exercise is one of the easiest exercises to perform at home which allows the pooled up blood in the legs to flow to the heart through gravity.