Does weight lifting cause varicose veins?

Does weight lifting cause varicose veins?

If you've ever done a set of heavy squats, you've probably noticed that the veins in your legs become more prominent immediately afterward. You might conclude that lifting causes varicose veins, which are characterized by their bulging appearance (more on this below). But does a lift actually cause varicose veins?

I took my question to a few doctors and fitness experts to get the facts. Here they explain what varicose veins are, what causes them, and how varicose veins differ from a post-workout pump.

What exactly are varicose veins?

Varicose veins are enlarged, blue veins (common in the legs or feet). They often look "blue, abnormally enlarged and bulging, with rope-like blood vessels, almost like a bunch of grapes," says Antonios P. Gasparis, MD, director of the division of vascular and endovascular surgery at Stony Brook Surgical Associates.

To understand varicose veins, you must first understand how blood moves through the body. Your arteries carry blood away from your heart and to your tissues (including your muscles), and your veins carry blood in one direction — back to your heart, explains Jennifer Reichel, MD, of Pacific Dermatology.

Normally, valves in the veins prevent blood from flowing back, says Dr. Alejandro Badia, specialist in orthopedics for the hands and upper extremities. “But when the valves are weak or damaged – called venous reflux – blood can flow in either direction.” This causes blood to pool in the veins, creating the enlarged appearance associated with varicose veins. While varicose veins are most commonly seen in the legs (due to gravity), they can be found in various parts of the body.

The good news is that the majority of people do not experience any associated symptoms beyond aesthetic concerns. (But if you do, the most common symptoms are heaviness in the legs and muscle cramps.)

What causes varicose veins?

The most common cause of varicose veins is genetics. “I see hundreds of patients with varicose veins every year, and the vast majority have developed these veins because of a genetic predisposition to forming varicose veins,” says Allan W. Tulloch, MD, a vascular surgeon at Vascular Surgery Associates in Santa Monica. APPROX.

Other contributing factors include hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause, aging, history of venous blood clots and obesity, he says.

People who are less active are also more likely to develop varicose veins, says trainer Jacqueline Kasen: "People who are sedentary have a lack of blood flow throughout the body, which puts them at increased risk."

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Does lifting cause varicose veins?

Nope. "It's easy to conclude that weight lifting causes varicose veins because our veins sometimes pop out during exercise, but that's not the case," says Michael Richardson, MD, associate medical director at Well. As seen above, there are a number of factors that can increase your chances of getting varicose veins, but Dr. Richardson says, “Exercises and lifting weights are not one of them.” (Phew).

Because exercise increases blood flow, it is often considered a preventive measure against varicose veins, says Kasen.

According to Dr. There's a caveat to Tulloch, however: When you lift really heavy weights—like a one-rep max back squat—you're putting a lot of demand on your muscles, which puts a lot of strain on your veins as they bring blood back to the heart. “They also potentially strain and increase pressure in your venous system, which over a long period of time can lead to weakened valves and therefore varicose veins in people predisposed to their formation.”

But he says proper lifting technique can help guard against it. If you often do heavy lifting, consider using compression socks to help with circulation, says certified personal trainer Alonzo Wilson, founder of Tone House in New York City. (But by the way, most trainers like Kasen say you shouldn't test your one-rep maxes more than once a month anyway. Here's how often you should be lifting heavy.)

If you already have varicose veins and are experiencing severe symptoms, some doctors may advise you to limit heavy lifting. “But when patients with varicose veins who are not in pain ask me whether they should continue to exercise, I always answer yes, because exercise is so important for a healthy lifestyle,” says Dr. Tulloch. (Seriously—here are the many health benefits of lifting weights.)

The difference between varicose veins and “the pump”

If varicose veins are not caused by weight lifting, then why do your veins pop out after you lift weights? “The post-workout ‘pump’ is not caused by faulty valves, as is the case with varicose veins,” says Dr. Tulloch.

"When you lift, the muscle tissue you're training requires more oxygen, which it gets from the blood in your arteries," explains Dr. Richardson. Because physical activity sends more blood to the muscles, your veins also have to carry a larger amount of blood.

“But because your veins require gravity to carry blood back to the heart, this happens more slowly than arterial inflow,” explains Dr. Reichel. This can lead to a “backup” of blood in the veins and increased pressure in the veins. The result of this increased pressure is that the veins “pop.”

There are other factors that play a role in pumping: the type of exercise you do and genetics.

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"When you exercise, your muscles swell, which pushes the veins closer to the surface of the skin and increases the appearance of bulges," says Dr. Gasparis. In general, he says that strength training gets the pump stronger than light cardio - due to something he calls "muscle strain," or muscle fatigue.

And yes, like most things in life, your genes play a role. “Some people are born more vascular than others,” says Dr. Gasparis. But that can also depend on body composition: “The less fat a person has, the more visible the veins become,” he says. For example, someone with 13 percent body fat might appear more pumped up after the same workout than someone with 28 percent body fat, even if the same process occurs physiologically.

TL;DR: While varicose veins are considered permanent and have a number of causes, the post-workout pump is temporary and the result of the normal physiological things that happen in your body during and after exercise.

The end result

"I wouldn't avoid lifting weights for fear that it might cause varicose veins, because it can't," says Dr. Richardson.

I guess see you at the dumbbell rack! Or maybe in the locker room to check my arm pump. *Wink*.