No. Indeed, walking is beneficial. When you walk, the muscles in your legs contract, squeezing the veins, thus helping to force the blood to move forward on its way back to the heart. Walking is also an excellent form of exercise to help promote good cardiovascular health.
Understanding Superficial Venous Reflux
Your legs are made up of a network of veins. Healthy leg veins contain valves that open and close to assist the return of blood back to the heart. Venous reflux disease develops when the valves that keep blood flowing out of the legs and back to the heart become damaged or diseased. This can cause blood to pool in your legs and lead to symptoms such as pain, swelling, swollen limbs, leg heaviness and fatigue, skin changes and skin ulcers, and varicose veins.
NORMAL VEIN VS. DILATED VEIN
Enlarged veins in the legs are a very common problem. They are dark purple or blue in color, and can look like cords or very twisted and bulging. Not only are they unsightly, they can also cause throbbing pain, itching, or swelling that worsens throughout the day. For many people, they limit the ability to live an active lifestyle or to wear shorts or skirts. If left untreated, they usually worsen over time. They can then progress to the development of more serious conditions such as severe leg swelling, bleeding, skin sores, blood clots, or staining of the skin.
The development of varicose veins is a sign that blood circulation is not returning normally from the legs to the heart. The flow of blood back down into the legs by gravity is prevented in normal veins by one-way valves. When these valves become weakened, the blood can backflow and pool in the legs, causing the veins to dilate. This is known as “reflux”.
Varicose vein problems are typically inherited but can be made worse by certain conditions. Varicose veins often occur in women, especially those who have been pregnant, people who spend a large amount of time on their feet, and those who are overweight. There is one major vein (the greater- large saphenous vein), which connects to many of the surface superficial veins. Failure of this major valve in the groin is quite common and frequently the major cause of vein reflux disease. The superficial dilated veins often seen in the lower leg, calf, and ankle are often caused by this faulty valve in the groin. The good news is that minimally invasive treatment is now available for this common and distressing condition.
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