8 Best Exercise for Varicose Veins

Looking for the best varicose veins exercise for legs?

If you have varicose veins, you are well aware that it can be more than just a cosmetic condition.

Varicose veins can be extremely uncomfortable. It can progress over time and lead to more serious issues, thus resulting in the need for surgery. Fortunately, regular exercise can help reduce the pain and discomfort of varicose veins in your legs, allowing you to feel better and lead a more normal life.

Certain leg exercises can enhance your blood circulation, but is it safe for people suffering from venous insufficiencies to do varicose exercises? Let us find out.

Is It Safe To Exercise If You Have Varicose Veins?

Exercise should be an essential part of your daily routine if you want your body to stay agile and healthy.

Varicose veins physical exercise is good for your cardiovascular and venous health. Varicose exercises can help alleviate painful symptoms like tired and achy feet. Also, regular exercises can prevent the formation of new varicose veins, keep the swelling at bay, and, most importantly, prevent you from gaining excess weight.

However, it is best to avoid high-impact exercises like running and weight-lighting if you have varicose veins, as they can put a lot of pressure on your legs. In that case, varicose veins exercise for legs like walking and yoga are a great first step to start an exercise routine. Low-impact exercises can help to avoid further exerting already weak veins.

Benefits Of Varicose Veins Exercise For Legs

Regular exercise provides numerous vein-health benefits:

• Strengthen calf muscles (which help your veins carry blood back to your heart)
• Improve circulation (and general support for your cardiovascular system)
• Reduce the risk of developing new varicose veins
• Improve the tone of your muscles
• Help maintain a healthy weight (Excess weight can exacerbate vein issues)
• Boost your mood
• Reduce pain perception
• Help sleep better at night

Best Varicose Veins Physical Exercises

Here, we will discuss some of the best varicose veins exercises for legs, which will improve blood circulation and also tone your muscles.

While exercise will not cure varicose veins, it will help you manage your symptoms and lower your chance of developing new ones. Additionally, wearing compression stockings can be an added benefit for reducing pain, swelling, and other symptoms that cause discomfort.

Walking, riding, and swimming are low-impact exercises that are gentle on the joints and aid blood circulation.

Walking

Walking is the safest varicose veins physical exercise that anyone can do, irrespective of their age and fitness level.

Regular walks can help you lose weight, maintain healthy blood pressure, and strengthen your bones and muscles. Walking is beneficial for your overall health. Being a low-impact exercise, it doesn’t put any unnecessary pressure on your veins.

Bicycling

Bicycling is a low-impact physical activity. Like walking, bicycling can improve circulation while also protecting your joints.

Cycling regularly can also help strengthen your calf muscles and improve blood flow. You can use both traditional as well as stationary bikes.

Stretching

Vein health is improved by better blood flow. Stretching regularly can do just that!

In addition, it can also improve posture, reduce muscle stiffness and improve flexibility.

Yoga

Yoga improves overall blood circulation, which can help decrease the pain and swelling associated with varicose veins. It can also help you maintain your strength and flexibility as you get older.

Swimming

Swimming is an excellent cardio exercise in general. Additionally, it is a great varicose exercise. You can include swimming as an exercise in your daily routine. Start with one or twice a week, which will help you to build stamina and resistance underwater. You can start with one or two laps initially and increase the number of laps slowly as you improve your breath work.

Varicose Veins Exercise for Legs

Here are specific varicose veins exercises specifically targeting the veins and muscles of your legs.

Bicycle Legs

As the name suggests, it feels like you are riding a bicycle in this exercise.

So, how does one do the bicycle leg exercise?

1. Lay down comfortably on your mat.
2. Raise both your legs and bend your knees, making a right angle.
3. Gently kick your right leg out while holding your left in.
4. Switch the legs and continue. Keep both your legs in the air throughout the exercise.
5. Keep the movements fluid.

Kneeling Leg Lifts

These varicose veins exercises for the legs can be done at home while watching TV and require no equipment.

• Bend down on all your fours.
• Lift your right leg up and extend out and backward.
• Hold this position for a few seconds.
• Lower your leg and repeat the same movement with your left leg.
• Do 10 times on each leg, rest, and do another round.

Calf Raises

Building the strength of your calf muscles can help improve your body’s blood circulation. Calf raises are an excellent exercise for strengthening your calf muscles.

How to do calf raises?

1. Stand straight.
2. Keep your legs parallel to each other.
3. Rise onto your tiptoes and hold for a few seconds.
4. Slowly lower back down.
5. Do it for as long as you feel comfortable.

Ankle Rolls

If you don’t get the time to exercise and are stuck on your desk, don’t worry. You can do this exercise even by sitting at your desk.

• Keep both your feet parallel and flat on the floor.
• Now, lift the heel of your right foot. Keep your toes on the ground.
• Roll your foot from the ankle clockwise for 15 seconds.
• Now, roll your foot from the ankle counter-clockwise for 15 seconds.
• Rest and do the same with your left foot.

Additional Varicose Veins Prevention Exercises

The workouts are suitable for men and women alike. These exercises may be included in anyone’s regular fitness regimen with a little bit of caution when performed at home. If you are still wondering what exercise is the best for varicose veins, then here is a list of additional preventive varicose veins exercises that you can include in your regime.

• Butterfly Stretch: Sit on the floor with the soles of the feet gently touching together. Sink your toes and knees into the ground. Bring your chin in close to your chest while you straighten and lengthen your spine.
• Pilates Toe Taps: Lie down on your back, with your knees bent and thighs perpendicular to the floor, and raise one leg at a time to the tabletop. Keep your back straight and avoid bending down or slouching.
  Start by bringing your right foot down to the floor and tapping it there, keeping your left leg elevated on the table. Before moving on to the left leg, bring the right one back to the tabletop. Do one set of ten taps on each leg.
• Lunges: Lunges are great for maintaining healthy blood flow since they engage a wide variety of feet and calf muscles. While maintaining your knee bent and exactly above your ankle, stand with your feet slightly apart and take a stride forward. Hold for a while, stand up straight, and then switch sides.

Tips For Adjusting Your Exercise Routine

When you have venous insufficiency, your vein is already vulnerable, and the slightest carelessness can cause considerable discomfort and pain. Hence, you must be extra cautious about your exercise regimen.

Here are some tips to help you care for your veins better during an exercise routine:

• Always warm up and stretch before any workout.
• Wear well-fitting, supportive shoes designed for the type of workout you are doing.
• Wear compression stockings while exercising for better support and circulation.

Whatever varicose veins physical exercise you choose to do, it is essential to rest your legs after the session. In addition, a cooldown session is equally important for your vein health.

Elevating your legs is a great way to rest your veins, as it allows blood to flow back to the heart without any resistance.

Will Varicose Veins Go Away With Weight Loss Or Exercise?

Exercise can significantly help manage varicose veins symptoms like swelling, pain, and heaviness. However, exercising alone cannot treat varicose veins. Varicose veins can disappear with proper medical treatments. However, when combined with changes to your lifestyle, the right varicose vein treatment can provide transformative benefits to your vein health and can help restore healthy blood circulation.

Conclusion

Now that you know the best exercises for varicose veins, make it a habit to do these regularly to manage and prevent this venous condition from worsening.

While increasing your everyday movement, flexibility, and circulation is generally a good idea, it’s important to remember that some high-impact exercise might aggravate varicose veins.

Talk to your doctor if you feel your pain worsens after performing any of these activities. While you are at it, ask your doctor about the benefits of wearing compression stockings and let the doctor recommend one, depending on the severity of your symptoms. Varicose exercises, in combination with following the best practices to don a compression garment, can effectively improve blood circulation in your legs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Can varicose veins be cured with exercise?

Ans: Varicose veins cannot be cured with exercise. Your veins will not heal on their own without the help of a medical specialist. It’s more likely that they’ll get worse over time. To prevent the condition altogether, you can wear varicose veins stockings that are specifically designed to take care of your veins and prevent the development of any venous insufficiency.

Q2. Is climbing stairs good for varicose veins?

Ans: If you have a profession that requires you to sit for long periods, taking brief breaks to walk about or climb stairs has proven incredibly beneficial.

Q3. Can too much walking cause varicose veins?

Ans: There is no scientific evidence that exercise causes varicose veins.

Q4. Can you reverse varicose veins?

Ans: It is possible to manage your varicose veins at home. Wearing compression stockings can help alleviate symptoms as well as prevent the progression of the condition. Dietary and lifestyle adjustments can also help considerably.

It is advisable to seek medical advice and manage your condition under the guidance of a vein specialist.