You may have heard that elevation is great for your veins, especially for those dealing with edema. In honor of February being Heart Health Month, we want to remind our customers how important proper blood flow is. We’ve narrowed it down to the three of the many benefits you’ll experience from elevating your legs.
How to Properly Elevate Your Legs
Before we get into the three benefits, let’s go over how to properly elevate your legs for the best results.
- Elevate your legs so they’re higher than your heart.
- Start by elevating your legs for 20 minutes each day and increasing up to an hour if necessary. Repeat this a couple of times per day or whenever you’re resting.
- Adjust the amount of time you elevate your legs over time. If the inflammation is going down, you can spend less time elevating them.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The following mistakes are common, especially for those who are new to leg elevation.
- Only raising your thighs: Make sure your feet and calves are above thigh level, not below.
- Not using pillows: Resting your calves on an edge to elevate your legs can cause blood to pool in that area which defeats the purpose of elevation. Make sure you use a pillow for added comfort and assistance. A great option is using a lift chair to elevate as they’re comfortable, easy to adjust and elevate your legs with the push of a button.
- Keeping your legs completely straight: Bend your knees gently to avoid straining the muscles and tendons in your knees.
#1: Reducing Inflammation
Inflammation and swelling are caused by an increased movement of fluid in a specific part of your body. By elevating your legs, the excess fluid is drained from the injury site, reducing pain and speeding up the healing process. Other ways to reduce swelling include compression, rest and icing. Keep these things in mind when you elevate your legs to get the best anti-inflammatory results.
#2: Relieving Pressure
While you stand or sit for an extended period, you’re putting pressure on your veins constantly. Elevating your legs allows you to take the pressure off your veins for some time. Not only will reduced pressure make the swelling go down, but it’ll also provide you with pain relief.
#3: Better Blood Flow
Your veins must work harder than normal when standing or sitting as they work against gravity to bring blood back to your heart. By elevating for just 20 minutes each day, you’re able to give your veins a break and avoid overworking them.
Now that you know how beneficial elevating your legs is, it’s time to incorporate it into your daily routine. Next time you decide to take a nap, prop your legs up in your lift chair from us! Contact us to learn more about how we can help you.
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