More than 30 million Americans suffer from venous disease, but only 10 percent seek treatment for it, according to the Society for Vascular Medicine. Needless to say, a vein condition is much more common than most believe them to be. 1 in 3 people has a vein condition. It could be you or someone you know. I see many patients with a wide range of vein symptoms in our clinics - and what is common to all of them is the failure of the calf muscle pump.
What is the Calf Muscle Pump?
What is required for the calf muscle pump to work: a healthy calf muscle, veins valves that work, and activity to let the muscle contract around the veins. In this video, I go into more detail on the calf muscle pump and what this means for your vein health.
Ways to Activate The Calf Muscle Pump
Every time the calf muscle contracts, they squeeze the veins in the legs together causing the blood to move back up towards the heart. Venous valves keep the blood going in the right direction toward the heart and prevent the blood from flowing backward.
However, the calf muscle pump only springs into action during activity - when we use our muscles. Whenever the muscles in our feet and legs are working, the pump works too and signals healthy blood flow.Here are some ways to get active, kick-starting the calf muscle pump:
- Running and/or Jogging
- Hiking
- Climbing Stairs
- Cycling (it only works if you point your toes with each pedal)
- Swimming
When the calf muscle pump fails, it leads to the development of vein symptoms. The calf muscle pump fails either because the calf is unhealthy (very rare), the veins valves are not working (very common), or inactivity (very common). This leads to vein symptoms such as aching, swelling, throbbing, and fatigue. The first thing to do is to increase your activity and to also try compression stockings.
Our clinics offer a free even screening in which one of our staff will review your symptoms, look at your legs, and let you know if further evaluation with me is needed. If you'd like to schedule a free screening, we can help you.
