(Second Heart) Healthy calves reduce blood clots… Do this before bed.

The calf muscles, called the "second heart," pump blood from the lower body back to the heart. Healthy calf muscles mean better blood circulation. However, modern people spend a lot of time sitting, which can lead to poor blood circulation in the lower body. Let's learn how to strengthen calf muscles.

 

◇Sitting for long periods of time can easily cause blood clots.

 

Sitting for long periods of time without moving your legs prevents your calf muscles from pumping blood properly. This causes heaviness and numbness in your legs. Furthermore, fine veins may become visible and cramps may occur. Lack of activity can slow blood circulation, leading to the formation of blood clots, which are hardened lumps of blood. Blood clots can cause swelling and pain, but they can also be problematic.

 

A more serious condition is when a blood clot originating in the calf travels through the blood vessels and blocks a pulmonary artery, leading to pulmonary embolism. Patients with pulmonary embolism experience difficulty breathing because the clot blocks the pulmonary artery, where oxygen exchange occurs. They may experience sharp chest pain or even faint or even cardiac arrest.

◇Get up from time to time

 

To prevent even a little of the health problems caused by prolonged sitting, getting up from your seat frequently is the next best option. Simply standing up from a sitting position can strain the muscles in your thighs, knees, buttocks, and calves.

 

It's best to stand up at least once every 30 minutes to an hour and do some physical movement, such as working, doing a sit-up, or using the bathroom, before sitting down. In particular, doing a sit-up with your heels up causes muscle contraction and compresses the veins, which accelerates the flow of venous blood to the heart.

 

◇Train your calf muscles with 'calf raises'

 

You can also do calf exercises while seated. This involves raising and lowering your heels repeatedly. This is called a "seated calf raise." First, adjust the chair height so your knees are at a 90-degree angle. Point your toes in the direction of the letter "11." Place a heavy object, such as a book, on your knees and raise your heels as high as possible to contract your calf muscles.

 

After this, don't let your heels hit the floor. Instead, feel your muscles contract and lower your heels until they almost touch the ground, but not quite. Repeat this process five to eight times.

 

◇Massage before bed

 

Massaging your calf muscles also helps with blood circulation. When massaging the calf muscles, the kneading direction should be from bottom to top, and the pressure should be just enough to provide slight stimulation.

 

First, sweep from the Achilles tendon to the back of the knee with the palm of your hand.

Press the inside of the calf (from the ankle to the inside of the knee) with your thumb.

Raise your knees and press on your Achilles tendon and the middle part behind your knees with both hands.

Then, press on the outside of the calf (from the malleolus toward the outside of the knee).

Calf massage should be done before going to bed, repeating each movement 5 to 10 times.

 

 

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Calf massage before going to bed

It would be helpful to do this while stretching.

 

Please remember to do this

They say the calf is the second heart.