The key facts

  • The calf muscles are called the natural 'venous pump'; their work improves venous outflow
  • Walking, swimming, cycling, Nordic walking and foot exercises are beneficial
  • It is recommended to get up and move around every 40–60 minutes, and high-heeled shoes are best alternated with other footwear

Calf muscles as a 'venous pump'

For varicose vein prevention, it is especially important to strengthen the calf muscles: they are called the natural 'venous pump' that helps venous outflow. This was said by surgeon at AO 'Medicina' (the Roitberg Academic Clinic), Doctor of Medical Sciences Tigran Bokhyan in an interview with Gazeta.Ru.

What is good and what is bad for the veins

According to the specialist, venous outflow is helped by calm walking, swimming, cycling, Nordic walking, as well as exercises with heel-to-toe rolls, calf raises and circular movements of the feet. He named prolonged static loads — long periods of standing without movement — and excessive lifting of heavy weights with improper technique as harmful: they put extra strain on the veins. Staying in one position for a long time also worsens venous outflow.

Practical recommendations

The doctor advised walking for at least a few minutes or doing a simple foot warm-up every 40–60 minutes. Constantly wearing very high heels, in his words, negatively affects the work of the calf muscles, so such shoes are best alternated with other footwear. The Gazeta.Ru article also refers to an earlier warning from doctors about the risk of thrombosis with sedentary work — this completes the picture: both prolonged standing and long immobile sitting are harmful.