Most definitely not. Here, Dr. Tanquilut and Dr. Pradhan explain!
The blood enriching your legs and toes makes quite a journey. Gravity helps the blood travel through the arteries, going away from your heart. But your veins must work against gravity to get that now oxygen-depleted blood back to your heart.
Your leg muscles squeeze the veins, and one-way valves in your veins keep the blood flowing “up”, back to the heart. As muscles relax, the valves close, keeping the blood from flowing “down”, away from the heart.
This process is the venous pump!
When you walk, exercise and move those legs, the venous pump does it job marvelously. But when you sit or stand for excessive periods of time, the pressure of pooling blood can damage your valves – and varicose veins result.
Keep your venous pump healthy by moving!
Get up from your desk during the day as much as possible. Make sure your exercise includes moving those legs and strengthening your muscles, like dancing, walking, swimming or jump rope. And don’t smoke!
Call Vascular Specialists today at 815-824-4406 if you have any questions about your vein health!
