Anatomy/Physiology
Healthy veins:
- Facilitates one-way flow back to the heart and minimises “pooling“. Healthy veins are so called “one way streets“.
- When a muscle relaxes, the valve closes, holding the blood in place.
- When a muscle contracts, the valve opens. Blood is squeezed upwards the vein.
Varicose veins:
- Blood becomes one long, heavy column of fluid
- Pressure is equal to the height of the column and injurious to tissue
- Maximises “pooling“ swelling and minimises flow back to the heart (i.e. retrograde or “backward flow“)
