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Help keep your Legs Healthy Leg
Health
We all want to enjoy
healthy and active lives but with all the tasks of work and family we may
forget about maintaining the health of our legs.
Problems with the
veins of the leg occur in both men and women of all ages but certain factors
increase the risk of venous problems. Health conditions, lifestyle habits,
heredity, injury, surgery, age, and pregnancy all play a role.
While you are unable
to control heredity, age, surgery and changes during pregnancy, you can improve
lifestyle factors through exercise, good posture, avoiding inactivity, choosing
good fitting clothing and footwear, and wearing gradient compression hosiery
that is right for you.
Helping
Yourself
Three easy actions can
help you maintain the health of your leg veins: exercise, elevation, and
wearing gradient compression hosiery. Regular walking, swimming or cycling
works the calf and thigh muscles. Contraction of these muscles helps the return
of venous blood from the legs back to the heart. Compression therapy
alone is not enough. Exercise and periods of leg elevation are also necessary
for effective management of edema, venous disease, and lymphatic disease.
Checklist
- Elevate your feet
above the level of your heart whenever possible.
- Draw letters of the
alphabet with your toes once each hour when sitting for extended time.
- Avoid long periods
of standing or sitting.
- Avoid crossing your
legs, wearing high-heeled shoes or tight-fitting clothes.
- Lose excess weight.
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