Poor vein circulation in your legs can cause more than just discomfort—it may lead to varicose veins and symptoms like pain, heaviness, or fatigue that can disrupt your daily life.
Fortunately, lifestyle adjustments and medical treatments can help you increase leg circulation, support healthy veins, and reduce discomfort.
Understanding Vein Circulation in Your Legs
Your legs contain a complex network of veins that return blood to your heart. Poor venous circulation occurs when blood has difficulty flowing efficiently through these veins, often due to venous reflux—a condition where the valves in your veins don’t function properly.
You are more likely to experience poor vein circulation if you’re over the age of 40, are overweight, or lead a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, it’s important to take steps to maintain healthy circulation and prevent complications as you age.
Signs of Poor Vein Circulation
The first signs of poor vein circulation in your legs may be feelings of heaviness or fatigue. Venous reflux disease (also known as chronic venous insufficiency), occurs when the one-way valves in your veins become damaged or weakened. In healthy veins, these valves prevent blood from flowing backward as it returns to the heart.
When the valves fail, blood can leak back down into the legs, causing it to pool. As this blood accumulates, it increases pressure within the veins, leading to that heavy feeling in your legs.
Other symptoms of poor vein circulation include:
- Swelling in the legs and feet
- Varicose veins, appearing as twisted, bulging veins
- Muscle cramps, especially during activity
- Skin changes, such as discoloration or ulcers
- Coldness in the feet and legs compared to the rest of the body
If you experience any of these symptoms, it’s important to seek the help of a vascular surgeon. This type of doctor specializes in surgical and non-surgical interventions for improving vein circulation. They may also recommend various lifestyle changes to help increase leg circulation.
Exercises to Enhance Vein Circulation in Your Legs
Movement is key to improving vein circulation. When you move your legs, your muscles contract and relax, squeezing the veins and pushing blood back towards your heart. This helps prevent blood from pooling in your lower extremities. Even simple activities like walking or stretching can make a big difference.
Walking
If you’re wondering how to increase circulation in your legs, one of the easiest ways is simply by walking. Even if you don’t have long to walk, just short five-minute walks around the house can help. If you sit a lot, remind yourself to get up and move around every hour to support healthy vein circulation. Consider starting your day with a 20-30-minute walk to improve vein circulation and boost energy.
Exercises while sitting or lying down
If you can’t get up and move around, you can still move your legs while sitting or lying down. Consider doing heel and toe raises, where you flex your feet up and down. Or rotate your ankles in a clockwise and then counterclockwise circles. Any movement helps. Try to do these types of exercises 10 times every hour or so during prolonged periods of sitting.
Exercises while standing
If you have to stand for long periods of time, you may want to move around every 20-30 minutes to prevent blood from pooling in the legs. Or consider doing standing exercises to increase leg circulation. Do heel or leg lifts in place every 30 minutes or so. You can also march in place or step side to side to improve circulation.
Lifestyle Tips for Healthy Vein Circulation in Your Legs
What helps blood circulation in the legs? Beyond exercise, your lifestyle can also make a major impact. A few lifestyle changes for better leg circulation include:3
- Not smoking. Nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes, can damage veins and increase inflammation.
- Compression therapy. This involves wearing snug socks or stockings that squeeze the leg, preventing the blood from pooling in your veins. Compression therapy is particularly beneficial if you will be sitting or standing for long periods.
- Control blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure can strain your veins. Aim to keep your blood pressure at or below 120/80 mm Hg. If your blood pressure is higher, speak to your doctor about treatment options.
- Drink plenty of fluids. Drinking enough fluids can help maintain healthy vein circulation. Limit caffeine and alcohol, which can cause dehydration.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Too much pressure on the legs due to being overweight can worsen vein circulation.
- Don’t sit or stand still for too long. Avoid sitting or standing in the same spot for too long, as lack of movement can impede blood flow.
- Eat a healthy diet. A nutritious diet low in saturated fat and sodium but rich in antioxidants like vitamin C and healthy fats like omega-3s can help support healthy veins and circulation.
- Consider massage. Self-massage or a massage by a professional can help improve circulation.
Before making drastic changes to your lifestyle, always speak to your doctor about what is best for you.
Medical Treatments for Improving Vein Circulation
Sometimes, more than just lifestyle changes are needed to improve symptoms. Start with a visit to your doctor, who will complete a physical exam and take your medical history. They may recommend a Doppler ultrasound to evaluate the veins in your legs, determine the underlying cause of poor circulation, and discuss your treatment options.
The underlying cause of the poor vein circulation will determine the type of treatment your doctor recommends. Treatments may include non-invasive treatments like compression therapy or procedures to improve circulation. There are many non-surgical options, such as VenaSeal™️, that can help seal varicose veins to improve circulation.
VenaSeal offers a more comfortable treatment for varicose veins with minimal recovery time. The procedure uses a special medicated glue vein treatment to seal affected veins, redirecting blood flow to healthier ones.
Since varicose veins aren’t always visible, ultrasound maps the veins needing treatment. A small catheter is then inserted to apply the glue exactly where needed. Once sealed, the body gradually absorbs the inactive vein, reducing the appearance of varicose veins.
VenaSeal™️ takes less than 30 minutes. Most patients can return to their normal activities shortly after the procedure.
At Empire Vein and Vascular Specialists, we specialize in optimizing vein and vascular health so you can look and feel your best.
We have performed over 21,000 VenaSealTM procedures and thousands of other vein procedures. Our expert team of board-certified vascular surgeons is dedicated to helping you improve your leg circulation. Our office is glad to accept most major PPOs, some HMOs, Medicare, and IEHP. To get started, call 1-800-VARICOSE or fill out our online form to book a free screening today.
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