Ever wonder if intense exercise is protective against the development of gnarly varicose veins?
This does NOT refer to the “vascularity” that bodybuilders and physique athletes work so hard to achieve.
The vascularity that they relish is not caused by any kind of malfunction in the body’s venous system.
In fact, the “veins” are already there, sturdy and efficient from grueling weight workouts.
It’s just that as the body fat percentage gets low enough, they start showing, sometimes “bulging,” especially in combination with pre-competition (or pre-photo shoot) dehydration and sodium depletion, plus last-minute leg pumping exercises right before stepping on stage or before the camera.
As a lifelong fitness enthusiast and former personal trainer, I certainly wondered about the varicose vein issue.
After all, it just seems logical that squats, leg presses, weighted walking lunges, rope jumping, treadmill sprints and other like exercise could stave off the development of varicose veins, assuming that one also maintains a medically acceptable body weight, doesn’t smoke and is healthy otherwise.
I’m not referring to “little” varicose veins that one can barely notice. I’m talking about the ropey looking ones that are all over a person’s legs and cannot be missed.
“Just yesterday I saw a 51 year old man in my office who is as fit as you can be,” says Seyed-Mojtaba (Moji) Gashti, MD, a board certified vascular surgeon with Broward Health Medical Center in Florida.
“He has very large varicose veins in his left leg; some of the largest ones I have seen.
“But he also has his mother and sister who have been treated for the same condition, pointing to the genetic factors that are mostly responsible for the valvular incompetence.”
Varicose veins are the result of a valve malfunction called venous insufficiency.
If you rarely see pronounced or extensive varicose veins in the people who work out the hardest at your gym, it’s possible that many of them have had the condition treated.
There are physicians who specialize in the cosmetic reduction of varicose veins.
Dr. Gashti specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of vascular disease including abdominal and aortic aneurysm.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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