We all know that being overweight causes a number of health problems. But did you know that it can also cause vein conditions or worsen one that you may already have? I see patients each day with vein symptoms and their complications, including weight gain. Each day I also see overweight patients who develop vein problems and leg symptoms. I would like to share with you what I have seen and help you understand the relationship between weight, vein conditions and their complications.
I saw a patient who told me that his life was heading to old age, even though he was 53 years old. His legs hurt and throbbed at the end of the day, and when he came home all he could do was park himself in his recliner and sit all evening. He had no energy to walk or be active in the evening. He continued to gain weight each month and was now 90 pounds over his weight a year earlier. He felt frustrated and helpless. We determined that he had a significant vein condition with severe reflux with abnormal vein flow. After treatment he noticed an immediate increase in his energy level, and within 9 months, he had lost 90 pounds. He felt like a new man, and he was ecstatic!
When you are over weight, symptoms of a vein condition can develop or worsen, and this includes leg and foot symptoms as well as general fatigue, the most common symptom. Common visible signs of a vein condition also worsen and include skin discoloration on the calves and ankles, varicose or spider veins, and swelling. Being overweight does increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) which is a serious and potentially fatal health risk.
What most people do not appreciate is that the reverse is even more common: a vein condition causes weight gain. The pathway to this includes the development of leg symptoms and generalized fatigue which reduces your activity and the amount of calories your body burns. It becomes a vicious loop: more fatigue and vein symptoms in your legs causes less activity and calorie burning, and your weight goes up.
The common pattern with a vein condition is that at the end of the day, people have painful legs and feel exhausted. After work or their day's activities, the patient has little energy to do anything but sit in a recliner or sofa. If you do the calorie arithmetic, burning fewer calories because you are inactive for 5 hours each evening leads to a weight gain of about 10-15 lbs a year. This is the common outcome for people with a vein condition - weight gain. You can't maintain your ideal body weight and you certainly calories, and that is the central problem if you have a vein condition.
Normal Blood Flow
The blood flows through your body in a remarkable coordination of several players: your heart, arteries, veins and legs. As your heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries, carrying life-giving oxygen and nutrients throughout the tissues in your body. from the tissues in your legs, the blood returns via the veins. When you are lying down, the blood naturally returns to the heart, but it is different when you are standing and it has to work against gravity. How does the "used" blood in the veins get back to the heart when you are standing/ The muscles in our legs, especially the so-called "calf muscle pump," play a major role by pumping blood back up to the heart and lungs.
How Can Being Overweight Cause Vein Conditions?
It is clear from medical research that being overweight has a negative impact on blood flow. Being overweight causes an increase int he size and weight of the abdomen, and the weight puts pressure on and compresses the veins in the pelvis. This reduces blood flow from the legs and blood then builds up under high pressure in the legs causing symptoms and complications. This high pressure is called venous hypertension and is the cause of the symptoms. For overweight patients, this often result sin leg aching, brown or red discoloration of the calf and ankle, leg swelling and skin changes. Most alarming is the risk of development of open wounds of the calf and ankle. Often these overweight individuals have only mild abnormalities noted on ultrasound, but they do have venous hypertension.
Other causes of vein conditions include family history, the type of job you have, previous pregnancies, and your own personal medical. history. This is certain: Being overweight creates a vicious cycle of decreased activity and reduced ability to exercise, and this results in increased weight gain and declining health.
So, if you have leg symptoms, chronic fatigue, reduced activity and are overweight, you may wonder how to sort out whether or not your veins are contributing to the problem Weight gain and vein conditions are interrelated, and to get your answers, you will need a complete vein evaluation, including a standing reflux venous ultrasound and evaluation with a vein specialist. If you ask your healthcare provider to order this ultrasound, make sure you ask for a reflux exam. Another option to get started is a free online or in person vein screening. Either way, if you are struggling with your weight and leg symptoms, it is time to get it figured out.
