Is walking good for varicose veins?

Walking is good for everyone who is able. This has general health benefits ranging from keeping weight down to living longer.

The apps which count your paces suggest that we should all be doing 10,000 paces per day. Walking helps venous blood to return to the heart through the deep veins where the blood belongs. Without the exercise the blood loses its oxygen and damages the skin.

If you have varicose veins, the blood in the surface varicose veins just yo-yo’s up and down because a valve has broken in the vein. As a result the veins get bigger over time and ultimately you can get skin damage due to the pressure. The damage can take various forms – Varicose eczema, discoloured skin (lipodermato-sclerosis) and ultimately leg ulcers which are very difficult to heal. Therefore while walking is good for everyone, it won’t improve your varicose veins.