UNDERSTANDING OUR ANATOMY

Circulation is the process by which blood flows away from the heart to the rest of the body and then back to the heart again. We have two types of blood vessels: arteries that carry blood away from the heart and veins which return blood to the heart. Superficial veins lie just below the skin and deep veins lie within the muscles of our legs.

Veins and arteries vary greatly. Arteries are under more pressure. (Blood pressure of 120 mmHg is normal arterial pressure. The blood pressure of a vein in the same location might vary from 6-15 mmHg.) Because veins have such little assistance from the heart, they compensate by having one-way valves that help the blood constantly move in one direction. The veins also rely a great deal on the movement of our leg muscles squeezing the veins and thus pushing the blood along. (That’s why leg swelling is often worse at the end of the day after sitting or standing for an extended time. The leg muscles when we walk actually pump the blood in the veins back to the heart.)

In a damaged vein, the valves no longer work and the vein walls become weak and dilated. This allows the blood to leak backwards through the valve. Over time, blood pools in the veins and varicose veins may result. What starts as merely unsightly can turn dangerous if swelling and blood clots form where blood moves too slowly.