How Veins Work
Your circulatory system is responsible for moving blood around your body. Your heart is at the center of the circulatory system, and it is a powerful muscular pump that pushes oxygen and nutrient-rich blood through arteries to every part of your body. The oxygen and nutrients in arterial blood is used to fuel muscles, organs, and tissues. Once depleted of nutrients and loaded with carbon dioxide and cellular waste, the blood is returned to the heart through a network of veins.
The heart pumps blood through the arteries at high pressure. To cope with the pressure, healthy arteries are strong and elastic and have smooth walls to aid the flow of blood. The venous section of the circulatory system is not under high pressure. Because of this, veins have thinner walls than arteries but a wider cross section that stretches to accommodate changing blood volume.
While the heart actively pumps arterial blood around the body, venous blood relies on gravity and normal body movement to return it to the heart. Gravity allows blood to drain from any part of the body that is higher than the heart. In areas below the heart, veins run through large muscles, and the contraction of these muscles during normal movement squeezes the veins and forces blood to move upward to the heart.
When we stop moving, most peripheral veins have simple one-way valves to prevent blood from flowing backward or refluxing. If these veins stop working properly, they are referred to as incompetent. The arms and legs tend to have the largest number of valves.
Leg veins are particularly prone to vein problems because blood pools in our legs when we stand or sit.
Treating all Phases
of Vein Disease
- Bulging Veins
- Leg pain and aching
- leg swelling
- Skin Changes
- Leg Ulcers
- Restless Legs
- Night cramps
- Neuropathy