Does elevating legs help varicose veins symptoms?

Yes, elevating your legs may help alleviate symptoms of varicose veins, such as ankle swelling, leg pain, and leg fatigue. 

Veins normally return blood to the heart.  When you are upright, this blood has to return through small one-way valves up the leg and against gravity.  Because the underlying cause of varicose veins and spider veins is a failure of the one-way valves in the veins, gravity is allowed to work against your veins and causes the blood to flow backwards.  This backwards flow of the blood winds up at the skin surface.  This is the reason that you may see varicose veins and spider veins at the skin surface.

When you elevate your legs above your heart, it helps to improve blood flow by using gravity to your advantage.  If you elevate your legs above your heart, this will allow blood to return more efficiently towards the heart, even in varicose veins and spider veins.

In order to properly elevate your legs, lie down on a bed or sofa and prop your legs up on pillows or cushions so that they are higher than your heart.  Try to get your legs and feet a good 18-24 inches above your heart.  While propping your legs up while seated is better than nothing, it will not be as effective as getting your legs above your heart.

Elevating your legs for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, three times a day, can help reduce symptoms of varicose veins and venous insufficiency. You can also try to keep your legs elevated while sleeping by using a wedge pillow or raising the foot of your bed.

In addition to elevating your legs, other self-care measures such as regular exercise, wearing compression stockings, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding prolonged periods of sitting or standing can also help manage symptoms of varicose veins. 

If you are experiencing symptoms or are concerned about your varicose veins, we encourage you to speak with a vein specialist like Dr. Chad Aleman.