Tips for leg health
Check out our health tips. They provide you with easy and helpful leads on how to keep your legs healthy in different life situations.
6 easy tips for healthy legs
- Move. Avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time. Physical activity improves blood circulation and encourages return of blood to the heart, so GET UP! Take a short walk, climb stairs, or make an effort to move around the office and at home.
- Cool down. After a long tiring day, especially during the summer, revitalize your legs with a cool shower or bath. Avoid extended exposure to heat from sunbathing, hot baths, or the sauna, as excessive heat will cause your veins to dilate and may induce swelling.
- Elevate your legs. To boost your body’s natural circulation, elevate your legs while you are sitting on the sofa or lying in bed at home. At the office, keep a leg rest under your desk.
- Control your weight. When you manage your weight with healthy diet and regular exercise, you are less likely to have leg symptoms, such as swelling.
- Quit smoking. Smoking harms almost every organ of your body and increases the risk of developing varicose veins and associated complications, such as leg ulcers.
- Wear compression hosiery. Wear compression socks or stockings, especially in risky situations like long lasting travel or immobilization. We offer you a wide range of compression products designed to fit your lifestyle. These products can help improve your blood circulation, increase your energy, and aid in keeping your legs healthy overall. Your health care professional, therapist, or pharmacist can help you determine which product is the best choice for you.
6 tips for healthy legs on long distance journeys
- Wear comfortable, loose clothing.
- Move your feet and ankles every 30 minutes (10 flexes and 10 circles).
- Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration; avoid alcohol.
- Take a short walk at least every two hours, be it on the plane or train or at a service station.
- Do not cross your legs as this reduces blood flow.
- Wear compression socks or compression stockings to prevent symptoms and swelling.
5 tips for healthy legs during pregnancy
- Remember, moving legs are healthier legs. Avoid standing or sitting for long periods at a time.
- Stay active. Frequent moderate physical exercise (examples: walking, swimming, hiking) is important to maintain healthy legs and an overall healthy lifestyle.
- Wear medical compression hosiery to help promote blood circulation. See our maternity product line.
- At night or when resting during the day, lie comfortably with your legs slightly elevated.
- Avoid extended exposure to heat from sunbathing, hot baths, or the sauna as excessive heat will cause your veins to dilate and may induce swelling.
Health tips for those with lymphedema
- Wear compression garments as prescribed or recommended.
- Protect your affected arm or leg. Avoid injury to your affected limb; use high factor sunscreen and insect repellent as cuts, scrapes, and burns can invite infection.
- If possible, avoid medical procedures, such as blood draws and vaccinations, on your affected limb.
- Exercise, stretching, and a balanced diet are encouraged. But avoid strenuous activity until you've recovered from potential surgery or radiation.
- Avoid heat and extreme cold on your affected arm or leg. Don't apply ice or heat, such as with a cooling or heating pads.
- Prop up your arm or leg. Whenever possible, elevate your affected limb above the level of your heart. This allows gravity to assist your body in draining lymph.
- Avoid anything that could constrict your arm or leg, such as tight-fitting clothing or jewelry and, in the case of your arm, blood pressure cuffs. Ask that your blood pressure be measured in your other arm. While your compression wear is designed to assist your body in draining excess fluid, too-tight clothes, which bind in the wrong places, may actually impede drainage.
- Keep your arm or leg clean and your skin moisturized. Make skin and nail care high priorities. Inspect the skin on your arm or leg daily, watching for changes or breaks in your skin that could lead to infection. Always wear shoes to protect your feet from harm.
- Follow a balanced diet and maintain optimal body weight. Controlling your weight can help to alleviate your symptoms.
- Keep proper hydration. Drinking plenty of water helps you stay hydrated and facilitates proper kidney function which is required to remove excess fluids, proteins, and other substances.
- Avoid excessive dietary salt intake to help prevent fluid retention.
Further reading
Chronic venous disorders (CVD)
Constant standing or sitting impedes the flow of blood towards the heart. Under certain circumstances, this can lead to venous insufficiency, which is characterized by improperly functioning vein valves that interfere with venous return and cause the blood to pool in the veins. If left untreated, venous insufficiency can result in the formation of serious disorders, including phlebitis, pulmonary embolism, or ulcers.
Tips for leg health
Check out our health tips. They provide you with easy and helpful leads on how to keep your legs healthy in different life situations.
These factors influence leg health
Many factors can unfavorably influence leg health. These can include lifestyle factors, such as reduced activity, obesity, and/or smoking. Other factors such as advanced age, gender, hormonal changes, and a family history of venous disorders are also influential.
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