Outdoor Recreational Exercises That Help Varicose Veins

While varicose veins can only be completely removed with proper treatment from a vein specialist, there are a variety of things that you can do to improve circulation in your legs and minimize their appearance. These activities can be especially helpful if you experience pain or discomfort around the area where your varicose veins are present, as it is also possible to mitigate the symptoms associated with vein problems. It just so happens that one of the best things you can do to help your varicose veins is low impact exercise — and the good news is that there's no shortage of opportunities in Alaska. In this post, we'll take a closer look at some of the best exercises for your varicose veins, activities that are not good for your veins and treatment options if you want to fully remove them. Here's a look:

Fun Alaska Activities That Help Varicose Veins

Like we said in the opening, there's no shortage of exercise activities in the great outdoors of Alaska. Here's a look at some of the activities that can help improve blood circulation and improve strength in your legs, and thereby your leg veins:

• Hiking: As long as the trails aren't too rigorous, hiking is a great activity that helps stretch and build calf muscles and improve blood flow. It's also a great way to take in scenic views and Alaskan wildlife.
• Walking: There's arguably no better low-impact exercise than walking. Even just 30 minutes a day, five days a week around your neighborhood helps to build healthy veins.
• Swimming: Kicking with your legs is a big part of swimming, and this posture also helps to circulate blood flow.
• Biking: Like walking, biking won't put excess strain on your joints but is great for building up lower body muscles.
• Yoga: Yoga helps to tone and build muscle, and it's good for the entire body. The various postures also help stretch muscles and improve blood flow.

Exercises That Harm Varicose Veins

While there are a number of exercises that are great for your varicose veins, there are also some that you should definitely stay away from. Generally, anything that's intense or adds strain to your muscles and joints will do more harm than good for your veins. Here's a look at some exercises to avoid:

• Weightlifting: If you've ever seen a bodybuilder, you've probably noticed that their veins are practically bulging out of their body. It's a sign of the excess strain that is placed on the body when lifting weights. It's not that there's anything wrong with weightlifting, it's just that someone who works out this way with varicose veins is likely going to make their issues worse.
• Running: While it's great for heart health, this is a high-impact exercise that can irritate any existing varicose veins.

Does Working Out Get Rid of Varicose Veins?

To answer the question: No.

While certain exercises can help, the only true way to get rid of varicose veins is to see a qualified vein specialist so proper treatment can begin. We'll get into some of the safe, effective treatments in the next section.

Treatments for Varicose Veins

As we noted above, there are a variety of safe, effective treatments that can be administered to treat varicose veins. Here's a look at some of them:

• Varithena: This involves injecting foam into the veins so that they collapse.
• VenaSeal: The treatment administers an adhesive to close off varicose veins.
• Ultrasound Guided Foam Sclerotherapy: With this procedure, a needle administers sclerosant to close veins shut.
• ClariVein: ClariVein is a 30-minute procedure that pinches off the veins.
• Laser Ablation: This procedure uses a laser to close veins shut.
• Radiofrequency Ablation: This works similar to laser ablation, except instead of using a laser, it uses radio waves to close veins shut.
• Ambulatory Phlebectomy: This treatment is best for larger veins and involves removing them from an incision point.

Meet Dr. Ives in Fairbanks, AK

For more information and to view our varicose vein treatment options, meet Dr. Ives in Fairbanks, Alaska today. Contact us to schedule your consultation and to learn more about exercises that can help.