When your veins dilate and begin to appear under the skin, and your legs begin to hurt, your lifestyle worsens.Exercises for varicose veins in the legs will improve vascular tone, thereby relieving the condition.
What are varicose veins?
Varicose veins are a pathological (abnormal) phenomenon of dilation of the veins, as a result of which bluish-red cobwebs and meshes, or even bulging nodules, appear on the surface of the skin.
If any of your family members have varicose veins, you will have heard the expression “pulling your veins” used.As you know, blood must rise through the veins of the legs, overcoming the force of gravity.The heart pushes it there with each contraction and special valves inside the vessel prevent it from flowing down.They close after each heartbeat and prevent blood from flowing downwards under the influence of their own weight.
In varicose veins, the walls of the veins expand and become thinner, the valves can no longer close, and the proper movement of blood through the affected vessel is impaired.Blood stagnates, vessels rise to the surface of the skin and become very noticeable.And the stronger the varicose veins, the heavier and more extensive this image will be.
At a certain point, there comes a “point of no return” at which surgery is no longer possible.But before that, you can help yourself with gymnastics and medication.
The most important thing is to protect yourself from the further development of varicose veins.You must first find out where it came from.
Causes of the disease
All causes of varicose veins can be reduced to two: problems with blood outflow from the vessels in the legs and weak connective tissue in the walls of blood vessels.
The first group of reasons can be eliminated very simply, but the second is due to genetic characteristics and can only be tolerated.
The first group includes the following reasons:
- Cross-legged posture while sitting.
- Prolonged unfavorable body position, such as squatting when gardening.
- Working for long periods of time while standing.
- Trauma, systemic vascular diseases.
- Obesity.
As you can see, most of these reasons can be eliminated.In other words, exercise will be ineffective unless the habit of sitting cross-legged is broken or the weight is reduced.If varicose veins are caused by a genetic weakness of the blood vessels, don't despair.Your feet will simply need more attention.
So, let's find out what kind of load can be given to the muscles with this disease, whether it is possible to do squats with varicose veins and what other exercises exist.
Fight varicose veins with exercises
Physical activity is designed to improve blood flow in diseased veins.It is useless to do this if the stage of varicose veins already requires surgical intervention.But if the disease has just begun, the exercises will be very useful for you.
what not to do
You shouldn't lift weights.Forget about strength exercises for now, they will aggravate your condition.Excessive tension can cause weak blood vessels to burst.
Here are some questions from people who suffer from varicose veins and their answers:
- Is it possible to squat with varicose veins?You can do squats with your own weight.But, if the exercises are difficult for you, it is better not to do them, even without a bar.You can't do squats with a bar if you have varicose veins.
- Can you bench press?It is possible, but with caution, it is better to use special compression stockings.You should be careful with exercises that directly work the leg muscles, such as deadlifts, squats, leg extensions, and leg curls.This is where you have to limit yourself.You can't lift weights while standing.A leg press with a light weight will be useful because you perform it in an inverted position.
- Veins swell after training, are they varicose veins?After visiting the gym, the veins become more pronounced and are visible on the surface.But it is necessary to distinguish varicose veins from childbirth veins.In the latter case, the veins are pushed to the surface by muscles, they are smooth, without knots or mesh.They are usually large and single, bluish in color.These veins appear in the athlete's body in the area of the flexors of the legs, arms, chest and neck.This is fine.If the vein is red or purple, thin, knobby, and bordered by mesh, it is varicose veins.
- Aerobics: light exercise.Can it be done for varicose veins?Unfortunately, during aerobic exercises a person makes sudden movements and jumps.And it is better not to do this.Although in the initial stages of varicose veins this is not important.The main thing is to remove the heavy load.But in the later stages, especially in thrombophlebitis, sudden movements are dangerous due to the dislodgement of a blood clot and catastrophic consequences.
You should be careful with anything that requires significant physical effort on your part: strength exercises, sprinting, interval training.
What can and should be done?
Exercises for legs with varicose veins differ in the dosed load.In reality, this is gymnastics for the joints.On the one hand, it forces the muscles to contract and, on the other hand, it does not cause much tension.All exercises for varicose veins are aimed at increasing blood circulation in the legs.
The simplest leg exercise for varicose veins is to work with your feet.
This exercise is done like this:
- Sit or lie down so that your feet are higher than your knees.
- You can place a soft but elastic cushion under your knees.
- Imagine that the tips of your toes are a hand.Draw an even circle with it.The drawing is done by moving the leg at the level of the ankle joint.
- Pull your toe towards you, continue pulling it when you reach the limit.You will feel a slight pleasant warmth on your calf muscle and its stretch.
- After this, straighten your toes and lower your heels using your calf muscle.
- Turn your feet outward and then toward each other.
- Try this exercise several times.
In other words, we actively rotate our feet, contract and relax our calves.We do this with our legs raised.This technique allows you to stretch the muscles located below the knee while sitting on the couch or lying in bed.
A set of exercises for the whole body.
The next activity combines a full-body muscle and joint warm-up and stretching.This is a simple and safe complex that improves blood circulation throughout the body.
head and neck
Make a circle with your head 10 times clockwise and the same number of times in the opposite direction.
With each lap, try to stretch.It is not necessary to do it quickly, it prolongs the pleasure.Feel the work of your neck muscles, enjoy it.
Next, stretch your chin toward your chest 3 or 4 times and the back of your head toward your back the same number of times.
Let's move on to the upper shoulder girdle.
arms, shoulders
Move your shoulders in circles back and forth.We draw a circle efficiently and slowly, stretching the muscles!
Next, we begin to describe circles in the same plane with straight arms.There is no need to accelerate too much;A speed of 1.5 to 2 revolutions per second is sufficient.We inhale and exhale evenly, without holding our breath.
Then we press the elbows against the body and draw a circle with the brushes.That is, the arm rotates at the elbow.
And the last step is to clench your fists and turn them at wrist level.Next, we warm up the lumbar area.
lumbar
Take the position with your hands at your sides.Start by using your lower back to twist as far as you can to the right and to the left 10 times.You can spin in a row, or you can do it immediately 10 times in one direction and then 10 in the other.
After this, lean back and forth.Then rotate your body clockwise and counterclockwise, keeping your legs in one place.
Place your hands on your hips and make some circles with just your hips.
Don't forget that you should work slowly at a constant speed.
Legs
Here you can do squats 10 times slowly and without additional weight.This is one of two possible options for putting pressure on your legs, because you can't squat with a barbell or do lunges.
The second option is the leg press on a machine with light weights.It will be more useful to you, since the work goes in reverse, which is very good in the case of varicose veins.
The rest of the leg exercises are various swings that do not load the calf area.in the press
To train your abs, you will need exercises that are performed lying on the floor on a fitball.It is not recommended to perform leg raises hanging on a horizontal bar, since at this time blood can stagnate in diseased veins.
Lying on your back, raise your legs (two or separately) on the press, exercise bike.
Crunches in various techniques are also safe in the lying position.
Swimming
Swimming is an excellent form of physical activity for varicose veins.It is useful for the leg muscles, nervous system, heart and immune system.Truly a great activity!
Key recommendations
If we summarize all of the above in the form of brief recommendations, they will look like this:
- Do exercises for varicose veins, go for long walks in comfortable shoes. .
- Don't stay in the same position for too long, get rid of the habit of sitting cross-legged.
- Control your weight.
- Lead an active lifestyle to improve blood circulation.
- If you are predisposed to varicose veins, any intense physical activity should be performed with special tight-fitting anti-varicose stockings.
- After physical activity, allow blood to flow freely from your legs.This is especially true for girls.Lie on a bed or couch with your heels against the wall.You should lie down so that your feet are higher than your head.If you decide to take a nap for an hour or two, place pads under your heels and knees.Make sure your legs are positioned so that they are higher than your body.This will help blood flow from the lower extremities.
- Use cardiovascular exercises in your workouts.This will improve your well-being and strengthen your cardiovascular system.