Exercises to Relieve Heavy, Painful Legs [Top 5]

Heavy legs generally occur in people who suffer from venous insufficiency. A sedentary lifestyle, obesity, pregnancy, heat: there are many causes and risk factors for poor blood circulation in the body.

Discover five exercises to relieve painful heavy legs in a simple, effective and natural way. We'll also explain how electrostimulation can help you feel lighter every day.

Why exercise to relieve painful heavy legs?

The sensation of heavy legs is generally accompanied by a number of symptoms, including varying degrees of pain in the lower limbs.

What are the reasons for heavy legs?

In the case of venous insufficiency, blood has difficulty circulating freely in the body and reaching all parts of the body. Instead of returning to the heart, blood stagnates in the lower limbs.

This accumulation causes the veins to dilate and the legs to feel heavy and painful.

The importance of exercise in relieving painful heavy legs

Exercise is an excellent way of promoting venous return and relieving painful heavy legs. Regular physical activity also helps to combat obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.

Gentle sports, such as cycling, swimming, yoga or brisk walking, are best for those suffering from heavy legs. These activate the venous pump without putting too much strain on the joints and muscles.

On the other hand, all high-impact sports involving shocks, sudden movements or repeated jumps should be practised with caution.

Five exercises to relieve painful heavy legs

Here are five simple exercises you can do at home to help your legs feel lighter and relieve the pain you feel.

1. Half-leg raise

This exercise is particularly effective for relieving heavy legs. As well as being particularly easy to do, it improves blood circulation and strengthens the calf muscles.

Standing with both feet parallel and hip-width apart, gently raise yourself onto the balls of your feet, keeping your back straight. Return slowly to your initial position, without putting your heels down between each repetition.

You can do between three and five sets of 10 repetitions.

2. Squats

Empty squats are ideal for strengthening and awakening your thigh muscles to encourage venous return.

Standing with both feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then gently return to your starting position. It's important to keep your back straight and look straight ahead throughout the exercise.

You can do between three and five sets of 10 to 15 repetitions.

3. The pedalo

Lying on your back with your arms at your sides, raise both legs and bend them at right angles. Keeping your back firmly flat on the floor, pedal gently as if you were on a bike. It's important to keep your abdominal muscles tight throughout the exercise.

Do three to five repetitions, trying to hold it for as long as possible.

4. Opening scissors

This exercise is ideal for working the inner thighs.

Lying on your back with your arms at your sides, raise both legs to a 45° angle while keeping your feet together. Next, slowly spread your legs apart (like opening a pair of scissors), then bring them back to the starting position. It's important to keep your back flat on the floor and your legs straight throughout the exercise.

You can do between three and five sets of 10 repetitions.

5. Tennis ball under the feet

This exercise allows you to improve blood circulation in your feet by massaging them with a tennis ball.

Sitting on a chair with no shoes on, start by making small circular movements with the tennis ball. Then move backwards and forwards, then from right to left. For best results, make sure you move the ball all over your feet, from the tips of your toes to your heels.

Good to know: to relieve painful heavy legs, we recommend applying a local jet of cold water to the lower limbs, as often as possible after the exercises suggested above. This is a very effective way of toning the veins and reducing the sensation of heavy legs. This application of cold water should be made from the feet towards the root of the lower limb, to reproduce the direction of the venous pathway.

Electrostimulation: a natural and effective solution for relieving heavy legs

Electrostimulation is a natural, pain-free solution that stimulates and massages the body's muscles using low-intensity electrical impulses. These are generated by a compact device and transmitted to the muscles using electrodes placed on the skin.

The benefits of electrostimulation to relieve painful heavy legs.

As with a visit to a physiotherapist, electrostimulation can be used to gently massage the leg muscles. Massages for heavy legs offer many benefits:

• Improved blood circulation,
• Accumulated waste and toxins are more easily eliminated from the body,
• Pain is quickly relieved,
• Reduction in the appearance of varicose veins and swelling,

etc.

Relieve your heavy legs with the Bluetens "Heavy Legs" programme

Bluetens has developed an electrostimulation programme specially designed to relieve heavy legs effectively and safely.

To access it, go to the "Single session" section on the home page of the Bluetens application, then choose the "Treat" option and the "Calf" body part. Then select the "Heavy legs" electrostimulation programme in the "Circulation" section.

This 18-minute programme activates your calf muscle pump to prevent venous stasis. In addition, the deep muscles located around your veins are toned to limit their dilation. The pain you feel is rapidly reduced.

You can use this programme up to three times a day, depending on how you feel.