Achy, painful legs can be quite the hassle, sometimes having a huge impact on your every-day life. But, thankfully there are some ways to alleviate the ache, heaviness, and overall discomfort including exercise, proper shoes, elevation, weight loss, and compression.
1. Exercise is one of most commonly prescribed activity to improve your overall health, and it can also improve your leg achiness. For individuals that are able, weight-bearing exercise such as walking, running, and biking can drastically improve the swelling and pain associated with vein disease if done for 30 minutes, 5-7 days a week.
For those who cannot tolerate that intense of an exercise regimen, starting at 5 minutes a day and increasing the duration along the way is an alternative. If you find yourself standing or sitting for long periods of time throughout the day, ankle flexion exercises can help. By flexing your ankle 10 times every few minutes, you can help reduce pain and swelling.
2. Shoe choice can also have a huge impact on the discomfort in your legs . High-heels can increase the swelling and soreness, particularly if worn for long periods of time. Avoiding heels if possible and choosing a more comfortable shoe may provide much-needed relief.
3. Elevation is another tactic that can be used. Elevating your legs 30 minutes, 3-4 times a day is optimal. When elevating the legs while lying down, ensure that they are above heart level to get the full benefit. If that is not possible to do, it can be done sitting up and making sure that the level of the legs are elevated above that of the thighs. At night, using blocks or pillows on the bed to prop up the legs is also a great benefit.
4. Body weight can also heavily influence venous disease and that achy feeling in your legs. Maintaining an appropriate weight can help to decrease the pain as well as have a positive impact on your overall health.
5.Compression is one of the key points of conservative therapy for those achy legs. Compression hose can slow down the progression of venous disease as well as decrease the amount of swelling, pain, and heaviness associated with it.
There are many different approaches you can take to alleviate the pain associated with venous disease. Exercise, shoe choice, elevation, weight loss, and compression are just some of the ways that you can manage your varicose veins and their troublesome symptoms.
