We all know that being overweight causes many health problems. But did you know that it can also cause vein conditions or worsen one that you may already have? I see patients daily 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 resulting complications.
I'll start by telling you a true story of a patient I treated not long ago. He sadly told me he felt like his life was heading to old age, even though he was only 53 years old. His legs hurt and throbbed at the end of the day. When he came home from work, the pain was bad enough that he would simply park himself in his recliner and sit all evening. He had no energy to walk or be active. He continued to gain weight each month - to the point where he'd gained 90 pounds that year. He felt frustrated and helpless. After a vein ultrasound, I determined he had a significant vein condition with severe reflux resulting in abnormal blood flow. We started treatment, and he told me he noticed an immediate increase in his energy level. Within 9 months, he had lost the 90 pounds he'd gained. He felt like a new man and was ecstatic!
The Link Between Weight and a Vein Condition
When you are overweight, it is common for symptoms of a vein condition to develop or, if you already are experiencing them, they will worsen. 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 those include skin discoloration on the calves and ankles, varicose or spider veins, and swelling. Additionally, 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 does cause weight gain.
The way this occurs is, that with a vein condition, the resulting leg symptoms and generalized fatigue make it hard to stay active. Your legs may hurt, you're tired in the evenings, and you don't sleep well at night, so you don't exercise. You naturally burn fewer calories, and you gain weight. It becomes a vicious loop: more fatigue and vein symptoms in your legs lead to even less activity and calorie burning, and your weight continues to increase.
With a vein condition, there is a telltale sign - the pattern of symptoms. Symptoms always worsen throughout the day and are worse in the evening and at night. People come home and have painful legs and feel exhausted. After work or their day's activities, people with a vein condition have little energy to do anything but sit in a recliner or sofa. If you do the math on calories consumed versus calories burned, when you come home and are inactive for 5 hours each evening, you don't have the opportunity to burn off any calories. This leads to weight gain. With my patients, I commonly see an average weight gain of about 10-15 lbs a year before they start treatments.
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 in the size and weight of the abdomen, and this weight puts pressure on and compresses the veins in the pelvis. The added pressure reduces blood flow from the legs. As a result, blood pools in the lower legs, which in turn causes pressure in the legs. This pressure causes the vein walls to distend. This high pressure is called venous hypertension and is the cause of the symptoms.
For overweight patients, this often results in leg aching, brown or red discoloration of the calf and ankle, leg swelling, and skin discoloration. Most alarming is the risk of developing open wounds around the calf and ankle. A standing venous ultrasound can reveal a vein condition, whether you have visible symptoms or not. Sometimes, the symptoms are invisible: fatigue, restless sleep, and/or leg pain.
Other causes of vein conditions include a family history of vein conditions, the type of job you have (long periods sitting or standing), previous pregnancies, and your own personal medical. history. One thing 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.
Exercise: The Role of the Calf Muscle Pump
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. Then, 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. When you stand up, it has to work against gravity. So, how does the "used" blood in the veins return to the heart when you are standing? It does so by the contraction of the muscles in your legs. That's when the "calf muscle pump" plays a major role by pumping blood back to the heart and lungs.
The calf muscle pump is the method by which your body forces blood to recirculate back to the heart. The calf muscle pump works when you are active: walking, jogging, hiking, dancing, and even swimming. Because a person with a vein condition is sedentary due to fatigue, leg pain, swelling, etc...the calf muscle pump isn't active and therefore can't do its job. Treating a vein condition allows for more normal blood flow to be restored and helps a person feel better. When people feel better, they tend to be more active. Active people are in a better condition to do what is necessary to lose weight.
What Steps to Take
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. To get 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 standing reflux exam.
Vein treatments do work, and for many, have made the difference. Many patients feel so much better afterward, that they are inspired to start exercising and making other positive health improvements. We invite you to watch our patient testimonial stories, and if you feel like a vein condition could be at play, schedule a free vein screening.
