Elevate Your Legs
Elevating your legs – especially after exercise – will reduce swelling and aching by enabling better blood flow through the varicose veins. Use pillows to position your legs higher than your heart for several minutes throughout the day. You may want to sleep with your legs elevated to stop varicose veins hurting at night.
A Daily Walk
A daily walk will improve blood flow and help to build up calf muscles. Calf muscles play an important role in blood circulation in the legs and having strong calf muscles reduces strain on the veins. Exercising regularly is highly beneficial to physical and mental health, and walking is a low-impact form of exercise that is suitable for people with varicose veins.
Compression Socks
Compression socks apply gentle pressure to the lower legs, ankles and feet. This offers support to varicose veins and improves blood flow so legs won’t feel heavy or achy. The best time to put on compression socks is at the start of the day when the legs are usually less swollen. They can be worn all day and all night if desired.
Movement Breaks
Spending much of your day sitting or standing contributes to swelling and pain. Taking short breaks to walk around, bend your knees or flex your ankles will decrease pressure and help keep blood flowing through your varicose veins.
Healthy Body Weight
It’s not always a simple fix but maintaining a healthy body weight will ensure there’s no additional strain on the veins from carrying excess weight. Walking daily and having a healthy diet will help to keep weight at a healthy level.
Pain Killers
Short term use of anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen and aspirin can provide pain relief as well as reduce swelling and the build up of pressure caused by varicose veins.
