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Before it’s time to see a doctor, before treatment or surgery for varicose veins, there are a few things you can do to help prevent those unsightly veins. Here’s a few of the highly recommended behaviours: - It’s best to avoid standing for extended periods of time. Whenever possible, sit down and elevate your legs for a few minutes. If you must stand, it’s a good idea to shift your weight between both legs. Bouncing on your toes a couple of times each hour can help blood circulation and release stress. Once you’re home, or off your feet, it’s a good idea to sit with legs elevated for at least a half hour. If possible, take a short walk. - Whenever you are sitting, try to have the legs elevated at a level higher than your heart. Even sitting in bed, you can place a pillow under your feet. This allows easier flow of blood to your heart. - Just as standing for long periods can contribute to varicose veins, so can sitting for extended periods as well. Even if you’re stuck behind a desk all day, it’s important to keep moving. Ankles stretches, elevation with a foot rest, and short breaks to walk around are highly recommended as often as possible. This will help with circulation and edema that sometimes occurs from sitting too long. - Did you know that elevating the foot of your bed by as little as two inches can also help with blood circulation while you’re sleeping? Something as simple as cinder or wooden blocks can help lift your bed the two inches. - It may seem more comfortable, but crossing your legs can contribute to varicose veins. Crossing causes compression which affects the blood flow. - Compression stockings come in all sorts of colours now, so there’s no reason you can’t use them in the fight against varicose veins. You can find them at most pharmacies, or large department stores. All day use is recommended. - Okay, so that little black dress just doesn’t work without heels, but heels don’t help with that all-important blood flow. For daily walking, a low-heel or athletic shoe is best. Heels don’t utilize the calf muscles, nor do they improve blood circulation. - Eat right and exercise. You see it all day long in commercials and in magazines, but believe it or not, exercising 30 minutes a day several days a week not only strengthen those leg and calf muscles, but also improves blood circulation. Of course, it’s important to check with your physician before beginning any type of exercise regimen. - We can’t mention exercise without mentioning weight control. Keeping the weight off, especially in the stomach area, helps to prevent added pressure to the legs which weaken veins.
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