There are quite a few causes of varicose veins, and prolonged sitting and/or standing is one of them. Now, if too much sitting is bad, and too much standing is bad, what can you do? Float? Joking aside, unfortunately, we cannot avoid sitting or standing in our daily lives, but the trick to keep varicose veins at bay or to keep them from getting worse is to find a balance between sitting and standing throughout the day.

Let’s start first with why prolonged sitting is bad for you. When you’re seated for a long time, whether at work or in a car, your leg muscles are not being engaged. When your calf muscles aren’t being used, they must work harder at pumping the blood back up the leg to the heart. Sometimes, the calf muscles have a hard time moving the blood when in the same position for too long, so pressure builds up in the legs. This prolonged sitting can lead to the development of not only varicose veins, but also blood clots (Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT). What can you do if you have a desk job? Or, what can you do if you travel a lot in a car or truck for work? The best thing you can do is get up as much as you can. Go take a short walk around the office, or building. Pull over on the side of the road to stretch your legs and walk around for a bit. Do leg exercises at your desk. Take the stairs instead of elevators. Park farther away from entrances so you can walk more. All these suggestions will help your circulation.

Just like sitting, too much standing is also bad for the body, and can lead to the development of varicose veins. If you’re on your feet (standing in one place) for more than two hours a day, this isn’t good! Standing for this long puts a lot of stress on the body, especially the hips and legs. This constant pressure weakens the vein walls and damages the veins’ valves which can result in varicose veins. If you have a job that requires prolonged standing, try to find small ways to walk around, do small stretches, and even sit throughout the day.

Sitting or standing, you are putting an excessive amount of stress and pressure on the body when you’re in these positions for a prolonged time. Be conscious of your standing and sitting habits whether you have varicose veins yet or not.

If you are currently suffering from varicose veins or think you might be, it’s best you get checked out by a doctor. Dr. Peter Mikhail is a vein specialist who treats patients for venous insufficiencies in the Tampa, Clearwater and New Port Richey areas in Florida. To book a consult, click here or call 727-312-4844.

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