Varicose veins in high impact sports: why they occur

By Cristiano Antonino On Apr 5, 2023

Varicose veins and sport: everyone will have noticed, especially in the legs of some sportsmen and women, the presence of veins that are more pronounced than others, tortuous and with a more intense colouring, very much in contrast to the light colour of the skin

These are varicose veins, or varicose veins, i.e. dilations of the superficial veins of a pathological nature that are mainly located in the lower limbs (thighs and legs)

However, they do not develop in all categories of sportspeople, but more frequently in those who practise high-impact sports in which greater force is exerted, such as body building.

Although as a rule not very symptomatic, the greatest annoyance is caused by aesthetics, which then prompts a referral to a specialist in vascular surgery.

The causes of varicose veins in sports

Anyone who practises sports at high intensity experiences physiological dilation of the veins.

These subcutaneous rectilinear dilations of the veins are due to the fact that the contracting muscle mass squeezes the deep venous system, diverting the blood onto the superficial venous system and dilating the veins, which, over time, become hypertrophied.

This results in an increase in skin and subcutaneous vascularisation and greater visibility, which is also favoured by the fact that those who do sport, on average, have less fat mass and therefore the veins are more noticeable.

The causes of varicose veins in general

From a pathological point of view, varicose veins result from a problem of elasticity of the vein wall and malfunctioning of certain valves that lead to constant non-physiological hypertension.

Obviously, there are attitudes or habits that can worsen the condition such as, for example, certain risk factors such as being overweight, a sedentary lifestyle and standing too much because, partly due to the force of gravity, partly due to intra-abdominal hypertension, a higher concentration of blood in the lower limbs is determined in overweight people.

Sports that favour varicose veins

It should be emphasised that it is not sport per se that causes the appearance of varicose veins, it is simply that certain types of sport can accelerate their appearance, or accentuate them in individuals who are already predisposed.

In particular, they develop in those who put a lot of strain on their muscles, i.e. in more traumatic sports such as body building, or in sports in which the so-called valsalva manoeuvre is performed, which consists of pushing with the glottis closed, going on the stomach, without expelling the air.

The sports that are most at risk of promoting venous pathology and accelerating its evolution are:

body building;
weightlifting (powerlifting);
crossfit.

In general, all those sports that require a high commitment of the muscles with marked muscular hypertrophy (e.g. cycling, football).

Sports to do if you have varicose veins

Sports that, on the contrary, are ‘harmless’ include all those non-aggressive disciplines that do not involve a major muscular impact and are, for example

brisk walking (no running)
swimming;
Nordic walking;
pilates;
yoga.

Pay attention to breathing

As mentioned above, one of the possible causes of varicose veins in sport is incorrect breathing (valsalva manoeuvre); generally, when practising sports that put a lot of strain on the muscles, almost no one performs the correct manoeuvre.

It is therefore essential that the instructor, coach or personal trainer gives the correct breathing instructions.

In fact, sportspeople who practise, for example, powerlifting, even at a competitive level, emit particular breathing noises (like hissing), which are the correct ones so as not to overstress the venous system and the lungs, thus favouring the appearance of varicose veins.

How varicose veins are diagnosed

Certainly, the diagnosis begins with a clinical test with a specialist in vascular surgery.

People tend to decide to go to the specialist not so much because they experience certain symptoms (e.g. heaviness of the legs in the evening, swelling), but more because of the aesthetic impact of these very visible veins.

In addition to the specialist visit, further investigation is possible with an echocolordoppler, a fundamental instrumental test to understand the presence of a clinically evident problem, together with the cause and origin.

Treating varicose veins

Once the causes have been established, which can generally be traced back to malfunctioning valves within the saphenous veins or the presence of refluent communicating veins, the correct treatment for each individual case can be chosen.

This can be of the traditional surgical type or make use of laser or radiofrequency and others.

During surgery, the saphenous vein is completely pulled out, while in thermoablative treatments it is burnt.

Lastly, there are sclerosant-type treatments, which consist of injecting a liquid made into a mousse (emulsion) inside the veins to burn them, and ‘mechanical’ treatment using a device (rotating fibre) that mechanically irritates the vein wall while injecting a glue to achieve vein closure.

In contrast, ‘simple’ sclerotherapy is generally used for the treatment of small veins and reticular telangiectasias (capillaries).

Other indications for which the procedure is used are:

recurrent phlebitis, i.e. thrombosis of the superficial veins, because the blood, passing through these veins, is more likely to clot and form a thrombus;
venous ulcers, skin lesions that appear over a very long period of time and have a marked tendency to recur.

One should not get to these stages.

The prevention of varicose veins

From the point of view of prevention, in addition to correct breathing, the use of elastic stockings with graduated compression that compress from the outside and prevent dilation of the veins, improving muscular perfusion, is also of great help.

It is also possible to strengthen the vein walls with the help of certain supplements such as those containing bilberry, flavonoids, bromelain and red vine leaves, and GaG (GlucosAminoGlycans), to name but a few.

Saphenous Incontinence: What It Is And The Latest Techniques To Treat It

Orthopaedics: What Is Hammer Toe?

Hollow Foot: What It Is And How To Recognise It

Occupational (And Non-Occupational) Diseases: Shock Waves For The Treatment Of Plantar Fasciitis

Flat Feet In Children: How To Recognise Them And What To Do About It

Swollen Feet, A Trivial Symptom? No, And Here’s What Serious Diseases They May Be Associated With

Varicose Veins: What Are Elastic Compression Stockings For?