If your job involves spending hours on your feet, there is a good chance that you’re all too familiar with leg aching, swelling, and fatigue. I see many patients in our clinics who work in environments that require them to be on their feet for extended periods of time and are seeking help with how they can improve their vein health and reduce the severity of their foot-related symptoms. These are often but are not limited to, people like nurses, hairstylists, pharmacists, and food-service workers.
So if you are someone who is on their feet throughout the day at your job, take a look at the video below as I go into more detail on helpful tips and information that could significantly help with bothersome foot and leg-related symptoms.
Healthy Practices to Adopt While on Your Feet
- Integrate a Stepping Pad or Foam Mat: This can be any sort of bump or raised platform stationed at your workplace that allows you to step up and down intermittently throughout the day. Doing this can help with blood flow to the calf muscle. It feels better on your feet, but it is actually working your muscles more as you move around, helping stimulate blood flow in the legs.
- Purchase Gel Shoe Inserts: Taking measures to improve the surfaces on which you are standing in your work area is a great way to increase comfort and also help with blood flow to your leg muscles. You can do this by purchasing gel inserts for your shoes, and if you are permitted to do so, also placing a foam mat in your area of work to help relieve pressure on your feet and legs.
- Wear Compression Stockings: This is often the most important way for people with standing positions to improve their vein health. If you deal with leg problems due to a vein circulation condition, wearing compression stockings can greatly reduce your symptoms. For compression stockings to be effective, you have to measure and make sure you get the right size and compression strength, and you must wear them regularly - from the moment you get up in the morning until right before bed.
- Try Toe-Raise and Heel-Rock Maneuvers: This is a very accessible and easy way to promote blood circulation in your feet and legs. The exercises demonstrated in the video above can be done every 15-minutes or so. The purpose of this is to get the muscles working and for them to squeeze the blood out of your leg. You can see the images below or click on this video as a demonstration of how to do these exercises.
- Knee bends: Even a partial knee bend can help get blood flow out of the leg and take the pressure off. Be sure to use a chair or wall to hold onto for balance.
There are some professions where being on your feet is a non-negotiable factor. If this is the case for you, and you are really suffering and want to get rid of your symptoms and increase your energy, vein treatments work and really do help. A free vein screening will uncover whether or not a vein condition is at play. If you would like to know if vein treatments will improve your leg problems and fatigue, contact us to schedule yours.
