Vein Disease in Athletes

Varicose Veins Diminish Your Athletic Performance.

Vein disease in athletes is more common than people think. Physical activities that require your legs to support heavier weight over prolonged periods of time such as weightlifting, skiing, backpacking and repetitive motion sports such as running, cycling and tennis put a lot of stress on your leg veins. These activities can damage the delicate valves of your vein circulation and aggravate your vein condition.

Vein911 has successfully treated professional and elite athletes helping them to reach peak athletic performance.

Varicose veins cause increased pressure in your leg veins leading to symptoms that may impair your performance. Veins also dilate during exercise increasing the volume of venous blood pooling in the legs leading to decreased venous return to the heart and further decreasing athletic performance in athletes with varicose veins.

People who have varicose veins may think they have no symptoms.

The symptoms of athletes with varicose veins may include pain, heaviness, swelling, fatigue and itching. If you are prone to varicose veins, exercise significantly helps the symptoms of varicose vein disease and your athletic performance could be impaired without you even realizing it.  Because vein disease progresses slowly, becoming worse over years and decades, your body is able to adapt to vein symptoms and you may get used to the discomfort.

Many athletic people believe these symptoms are a normal part of the aging process. Again, the symptoms of vein disease among athletes with varicose veins may be masked by your regular physical activity, but varicose veins may be impairing your athletic performance.

Athletes with varicose vein related symptoms also may not have any visible varicose veins.

Exercise induced varicose vein related symptoms may occur long before visible varicose veins bulge the skin.  It takes time for visible varicose veins in runners or athletes to develop.  And veins that aren’t functioning well can result in legs that easily tire, which can impede your physical performance. Varicose veins in runners and athletes can cause your legs to hurt more after exertion and slow your recovery, which is a concern if you participate in competitive sports or long duration events.

Elite athletes wear compression socks because scientific studies have shown compression socks:

• Reduce blood lactate concentration during maximal exercise and enhance lactate removal and subsequent exercise performance
• Increases performance parameters at different metabolic stages during an all-out task
• Reduce muscle oscillation upon ground contact (especially valuable in sprinting and jumping)
• Increase torque generated about joints and reduce risk of injury
• Reduce effects of delayed onset muscle soreness in the days following strenuous exercise

Compression socks are worn over the leg and foot and create a controlled, gradient compressive force that is greatest at the ankle and diminishes over the length of the stocking to a minimum at the top. Compression works by squeezing de-oxygenated blood back up towards the heart quicker than normal and limit fluid pooling in the limbs. Compression socks increase stamina by improving performance and recovery. Vein911 can assist you with the proper fit and purchase of top performance compression socks.

If you feel your legs are not working as efficiently as they should be and think you may need athlete vein treatment, contact a Tampa Bay Vein911 Vein Care Center today!