Download our Varicose Vein Patient Questionnaire to see if you should be screened for venous reflux disease.
Fitness Tips
To combat the health risks of prolonged standing, get moving. Take periodic breaks every hour to walk around or sit. Other steps:
Stand with one foot in front of the other, not side by side.
Periodically shift your weight from one leg to the other.
Work with one foot slightly raised (e.g. use a six-inch footstool or box).
If you're pregnant, try to put your feet up at work and rest with your feet higher than your head.
Consider anti-fatigue mats on the floor to ease your joints.
Wear comfortable, supportive, low-heeled shoes.
Maintain a healthy weight to put less stress on your joints.
Remember — It's all a matter of ensuring movement throughout your day, regardless of whether you are a desk-jockey or a standing worker.
Looking for ways to get fit? Call 314-ANTHONY and ask about our upcoming health and fitness classes! Or, join Get FIt!
Take a Stand!
Limit the toll of standing on the job.
Standing to work is more tiring, and it dramatically increases the risks of carotid atherosclerosis.
Heart & Vascular Center
- John K. Pruellage
Healing Garden
Virtual Tour
Lots of published articles point to the dangers of sitting too long. It negatively impacts circulation and can increase the risk for blood clots in your legs. But did you know that standing for long periods of time also could have adverse health effects?
From retail or banking jobs to serving in restaurants, teaching a class or working on an automated line or in a grocery store, people who spend most of their time on their feet are at an increased risk for health problems, such as varicose veins, heart and circulation problems, swelling in the feet and legs and joint damage. There's also a risk of pre-term delivery or reduced birth weights if pregnant women stand for more than three hours at a time.
At Cornell University, ergonomic specialists in the University's Human Factors and Ergonomics Research Group state that standing to work has “long been known to be problematic. It is more tiring and it dramatically increases the risks of carotid atherosclerosis (ninefold), because of the additional load on the circulatory system.”
Prolonged standing and walking can cause:
Do your legs hurt and do you have varicose veins? If so, you may have a condition called superficial venous reflex disease; which develops when the valves in your veins malfunction or become diseased, causing blood to pool in your legs. Pain, swelling, leg heaviness and fatigue are some of the symptoms. St. Anthony's Medical Center offers FREE varicose vein screenings. Appointments are required. Call 314-ANTHONY (268-4669) to schedule your appointment on the next screening day. |
For information, please call our Health Access Line at 314-ANTHONY (268-4669) or 800-554-9550 or visit find a physician online.
At St. Anthony's, our vision is to be the area's premier health care organization
— and your first choice for health care services.
