The Calf Muscle Pump-Light Manual Muscle Relaxation as an aid to lower leg circulationCopyright 2009 Michael Gillan 1 ultra marathon recovery specialisthttp://womensweb.aching-legs-relief.com/pregnancy_edema_relief.html

Aching Legs are a problem for pregnant women

Light Manual Muscle Relaxation-massage-lite, the leg health system partners can do

Aching legs can be detrimental to general pregnancy health during it and after with the effects onwomen of poor lower leg circulation such as varicose veins following into later life

If the poor circulation is medically related there is not much to be done except get them dealt with bythe medical profession-but if the lack of circulation it is related to biomechanics of changing shapeduring pregnancy then it may be helped by simply working the calf muscle pump

Muscle health is based on having a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients to them

To maintain the supply of fresh blood to the lower legs a balance between what goes into the musclesand what comes out of them is important-fresh blood can't enter the muscle tissues if nothing iscoming out of them

Blood is made up of many parts-it is a mixture of cells and a watery liquid, it contains things likenutrients (such as sugar), hormones, clotting agents-the blood is pumped under pressure from the heartto the extreme parts of the body through vessels called arteries which break down into smaller vesselscalled arterioles, and even smaller ones (capillaries)By the time it reaches the feet and toes, all the pressure has run out and there is nothing left to take itback up the legs and into the body for renourishment and recycling againThis job of moving the used blood which carries all waste products to be flushed out of the body-isgiven to a different set of vessels called the veins-these have a series of one-way valves in them thatopen and close forcing used blood back up the legs against gravity-but to do this it needs a motor towork the system

The Calf Muscle Pump-Light Manual Muscle Relaxation as an aid to lower leg circulationCopyright 2009 Michael Gillan 2 ultra marathon recovery specialisthttp://womensweb.aching-legs-relief.com/pregnancy_edema_relief.htmlWhile the watery part of the blood can move in and out of the vessels, the larger parts, the blood cellsand platelets can’t so they simply sit in the lower legsa swollen lower leg and ankle-showing how lack of movement can affect lower leg circulation

Edema (or collection of fluid) that gives the ankles that puffy look is caused by blood collecting at itslowest point of the body, the lower legs-and the fluid separates from the blood and fills the tissuespaces around the feet and ankles-as it can’t be pumped away fast enough the ankles swell

To help pump all the fluid from the lower legs, the veins rely on the Calf MusclePump

The calf muscle pump forces used blood against gravity up the legs back to the body for recyclingThe muscle pump is made up of all the leg muscles-the main motors for the pumping system are thecalf muscles, the soleus which is used for standing and walking and the gastrocnemius used for runningand jumpingWhen the calf muscles are inactive-they are not doing their job as motors for a pumping systemdesigned to move used blood and lymph fluid from the lower legsThey work as a pair by alternately putting pressure on the veins and releasing it-this takes used bloodback to the body through one-way valves which stop it flowing back down towards the feet again-inpregnant women who’s range of leg movements are restricted by the size of the baby bump and thepregnancy waddle, the pump is not workingThis leaves all the weight of the body fluids in the veins putting pressure on the vein walls causingthem to widen-gaps appear in the valve flaps allowing leakage of fluid back into the lower legs-oops-varicose veins

gastrocnemius

soleus

The Calf Muscle Pump-Light Manual Muscle Relaxation as an aid to lower leg circulationCopyright 2009 Michael Gillan 3 ultra marathon recovery specialisthttp://womensweb.aching-legs-relief.com/pregnancy_edema_relief.htmlLack of movement reduces the veins ability to open and close by keeping constant tension on them, thisis called calf muscle pump inefficiency

Problems caused by calf muscle pump inefficiency for the pregnant woman include

•

Poor circulation

•

Lymph system inactivity

•

Venous return reduced

This can lead to long term leg health problems

(See www.hazards.org/standing)

Aching legs are a constant problem during pregnancy and one that is difficult to deal with-usually thebest advice that can be given is to wear a good pair of shoes and recover by having the legs elevated toallow the fluid that has built up in the lower legs to drain back to the bodyLying down with the legs in the air is the last thing some one who is pregnant in today’s busy lifestyles,it is too passive and not too many women are able to do this, especially if they have other activeyounger children who don’t understand mum needs a lie downWhat someone who needs to maintain the health of their legs is a simple

practical

recovery solutionthey can do during a break and after they have finished working

Many people see massage as a means of removing the used fluid from the legs

The term ‘massage’ covers many areas, and ways of using ‘constructive’ touch, most of them rely onthe skill of the therapist at manipulating the muscle tissues-the knowledge they use to do this requiresmuch training and practise-they have to pass examinations in order to work in this fieldUnless you know what you are doing most modern massage techniques are not only too technical-theycan be too rough on tissues, arteries, and veins in the legs from

uncontrolled finger force

and untrainedhands working

and

into

the muscles causing damageThe circulation is already challenged and the muscle tissues already struggling for fresh blood-working

the muscles entails using the hands and fingers to encourage circulation and this means usinguncontrolled finger force into the tissues