Does Crossing Your Legs Cause Varicose Veins?

Contrary to an old wives tale: a study in the journal Blood Pressure Monitoring determined that crossing your legs while sitting has no or little impact on whether you’ll develop varicose veins. Actually, sitting with legs or ankles crossed has no immediate effects on your health however, if you sit with your legs crossed for long periods of time without moving your legs or changing your position, it has been shown that blood pressure rises temporarily and additional stress is placed on your hip joints.

If you sit a lot or have a job that requires you to sit behind a desk for long periods of time and you develop tingles in your legs, the best thing to do is to take breaks and walk around the office. Tingles in your legs can be caused by the temporary restriction of blood flow so walking around will improve your blood circulation and wake up your muscles and get them working.

It is also recommended for those who sit for long periods of time do light exercises while sitting down. Below are a few exercises to try and they should be done several times a day to keep your blood flowing through your legs.

• Lift your feet off the ground and flex them up and down to enable fresh blood to flow through your legs
• Flex and release the muscles in your legs starting at your toes and working upwards
• Place a foot rest under your chair to keep your legs and feet elevated, this position helps with circulation
• Stand and stretch several times per day
• Massage your legs

As long as you keep moving your legs, blood will continue flowing through your veins to keep your legs healthy and reduce your risk for varicose veins.

If you do suffer from unsightly, painful varicose veins or spider veins, doctors at South Florida Vascular Associates  Dr. William Julien and Dr. Curtis Anderson, offer several minimally-invasive vein treatments to treat varicose veins and circulation problems, including endovenous laser ablation (EVLT), sclerotherapy, and phlebectomy.

“Movember”, No-Shave November - Raises Awareness for Men's Health Issues

November is Men’s Health Awareness Month also known as Movember. Movember is a campaign in which men can participate by growing a mustache or facial hair to arouse conversation and raise awareness of men’s health issues. As many men are not great at scheduling regular doctor visits, Movember is a time to encourage men to seek regular medical advice and early treatment for disease.

Movember supports men’s health issues such as depression, physical inactivity, prostate cancer, testicle cancer, and other medical conditions that are prevalent in men. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide and the number of cases is expected to almost double to 1.7 million cases by 2030.

Gender is one of the strongest predictors of health and life expectancy. For men, this is not good news. On average across the world, men die 6 years earlier than women. In addition, poor mental health affects men more than women, in fact three quarters of suicides are by men. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 510,000 men die from suicide globally each year. That’s one every minute.

The aim of this cause is to increase early detection of cancer as well as other male related illnesses. Early detection enables physicians to implement treatment plans that can potentially save lives. Besides annual check-ups, the Movember Foundation encourages men to be aware of family history and to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

If you’re not interested in growing facial hair, the Foundation's also hosts a "MOVE in Movember" challenge which encourages men and women too, to be physically active throughout November. Move in Movember is a great way for men who suffer from peripheral artery disease to be more active. Walking and bicycling are some of the best forms of activity to keep the blood flowing through your legs.

So here’s to all of the men out there… at South Florida Vascular Associates, we urge you take the time to think about your health and schedule annual doctor appointments; be aware of any family history of medical conditions that could potentially affect you, stay active, eat healthy, and live longer, healthier, lives.