The Connection Between Weight and Varicose Veins

Maintaining a healthy weight can alleviate many of the symptoms of varicose veins.

Obesity is a major contributor to varicose veins, but many patients are unaware of just how their weight affects their condition. While the connection between them may not be obvious, understanding it can make all the difference in successfully managing your condition.

While varicose veins can affect anybody, the overweight or obese are considerably more likely to develop them, and overweight or obese patients generally suffer from more severe symptoms than other patients. We’ll walk you through the relationship between weight and varicose veins and help you stay at a healthy size.

Bearing the Load

Excess weight places every organ in your body under greater stress, including your veins. This increased pressure gradually weakens the valves within your veins, which soon fail to properly pump blood. The damaged veins are further forced to work even harder to pump blood against the additional weight, creating more opportunities for blood to flow backward and pool in the veins.

Carrying That Weight

Aside from placing the veins under greater pressure, obesity can also mask symptoms of varicose veins, preventing patients from recognizing and treating their condition. While varicose veins are usually quite prominent, they tend to be less conspicuous if surrounded by fat, which largely obscures any swelling or distension. As a result, overweight patients with varicose veins may not even notice them.

In addition, many symptoms of varicose veins can be mistaken for consequences of obesity. Since overweight people usually tire more easily, for example, any fatigue in their legs could be attributed to general tiredness rather than a swelling of the legs in the veins. Similarly, what might seem an unusual heaviness in the affected legs might seem ordinary to an overweight person. Because they already experience these discomfort, overweight people may fail to identify their condition and seek appropriate treatment, greatly raising the risk of severe complications.

Shedding the Burden

Fortunately, overweight patients with varicose vein have a simple solution to their problem. By losing weight, these patients can alleviate pain and swelling in their affected veins, prevent further inflammation, and slow the progress of other varicose veins. While it won’t eliminate them, it will make them much more manageable.

Like your weight, varicose veins can be a sensitive subject. If you’re looking for relief from yours, you can schedule an appointment with a qualified vein specialist today to develop a treatment program that effectively treats your condition while keeping you at a healthy weight.