Is it okay to do treadmill exercise for varicose veins? What kind of exercise is suitable for varicose veins?

Running is a popular form of exercise. Persistent running can help people have a strong heart and cardiovascular system, lower blood lipids and cholesterol, increase lung capacity, maintain body shape, enhance metabolism, delay bone degeneration, and slow down aging. So can running be used to treat varicose veins?

1. Can I run and exercise if I have varicose veins?

Under normal circumstances, if the venous blood in the legs wants to return to the heart, it needs to overcome the effect of gravity and return to the heart from bottom to top. It must pass through the calf muscle pump, the lower limb venous valve and the negative pressure in the chest cavity. The calf muscle pump is also called the "second heart". It is an auxiliary blood pump that can help the lower limb veins pump blood back to the heart. In addition, there are many valves in the lower limb veins. When the blood returns to the heart, these valves open, otherwise these valves close, so that the blood can only flow in one direction without backflow, which is equivalent to a one-way valve. Due to various reasons, the elasticity of the venous valves decreases and they cannot withstand the gravity of the blood, so they will not close tightly, causing blood backflow and congestion. Over time, this will lead to widespread varicose veins in the lower limbs.

Varicose veins are not common among people who engage in sports. From the perspective of hemodynamics, when healthy people exercise, the valves function normally, and the regular contraction of muscles accelerates the return of blood in the deep veins. The pressure of the subcutaneous veins can be lower than when they are at rest. Therefore, moderate running exercises will not only not cause varicose veins in the lower limbs, but on the contrary, running can strengthen the activity of the leg muscles, squeeze the blood in the veins, make it flow more smoothly, and help prevent and improve varicose veins in the lower limbs. Patients with varicose veins should avoid activities that increase abdominal pressure, such as weightlifting, fast sprinting, long jumping, and throwing, because the function of venous valves is damaged. However, they can engage in sports such as jogging, swimming, cycling, and skipping rope.

2. What kind of exercise is suitable for varicose veins?

Running for 15 to 30 minutes each time can strengthen the leg muscle activity, squeeze the blood in the veins, make it flow more smoothly, and help relieve varicose veins. Many patients with varicose veins have experienced that when they feel sore and uncomfortable in the afternoon, they feel less uncomfortable after running for a while. Because when running, the movement of the gastrocnemius muscle increases, and the veins act like a pump to supply the blood accumulated in the varicose veins to the heart. At the same time, due to the acceleration of local microcirculation, the metabolism of varicose veins is also accelerated, and the veins can return to normal quickly. After a short rest, you can run for 15 to 30 minutes again.

However, long-distance running lasting more than 30 minutes will aggravate varicose veins. This is because long-term running will cause lactic acid accumulation in muscles and blood, blocking oxygen supply. Lactic acid is a product of oxygen metabolism in the body. Each person's ability to produce, accumulate, and clear lactic acid varies depending on their own physical constitution. In the case of varicose veins, the body metabolizes lactic acid more slowly, which is more likely to cause fatigue, thereby aggravating the degree of varicose veins.