Healthy Habits for Venous Disease

This section will talk about developing and maintaining healthy habits that will both improve the symptoms of vein disease and help prevent symptoms from getting worse.

Avoid sitting or standing for long period of time

The muscles in your calf and thigh and foot (especially the calf) work like a pump in your leg. This helps move blood back to the heart. In situations where the muscles are not squeezing, like when your legs hang down while sitting or standing in place for long periods of time pressure can build up due to gravity. This can produce symptoms such as swelling, aching, throbbing and pain.

(Figure 9-1 form Healthy Veins book coming soon)

If you have a job that requires sitting or standing for most of the day, you can do things that will help encourage movement.

• Take a 5-minute walking break every hour.
• If sitting at a desk, prop feet up on a foot stool and contract the muscles of the leg by moving your feet up and down.
• If standing for long periods of time, contract the calf muscles by standing up and down on toes (tip toeing) 10 times every hour.

(Figure 9-2 and 9-3 from Healthy Veins book coming soon)

Compression stockings

Compression stockings are very helpful for people with vein disease, especially if they are standing or sitting for many hours at work. When these are put on in the morning, they help prevent the development of swelling and achiness. Generally, a knee-high stocking is sufficient; stockings are also available in thigh and waist high lengths.

More information on Compression Therapy

Comfortable shoes

The muscles of the feet are important in the process of pumping blood out of the legs. Shoes that do not have high heels are preferable because flat shoes allow more muscle movement when walking in both the feet and the calves. Comfortable shoes also should not be too tight around the ankles.

Diet and hydration

A balanced diet and/or weight reduction to achieve and maintain a normal weight is very important for efficient venous blood flow back to the heart. The blood flow out of the leg passes through the veins in the abdomen and chest and back to the heart. Increased body weight, particularly around the abdomen makes it harder for the blood to return the heart. This puts extra stress on the leg veins.

Staying hydrated is important to avoid thicker blood thus increasing risk of blood clots. This is especially important when travelling when you already have decreased movement.

Avoid smoking

Chemicals from cigarette smoke can decrease the amount of oxygen that the blood carries and thicken the blood. Smoking can also cause inflammation in the small blood vessels of the body and ultimately damages vessels. For all these reasons, in addition to the risk of developing lung cancer, no one should consume nicotine in any form.