by NR INDRAN / INT

Mumbai : Tired Legs has become a very common problem in India. Today one out of every two people that we come across on a daily basis has this Tired Legs. Leg problems are widespread throughout the world, but what most people don’t know is that approximately 90% of leg disorders originate within the veins. If you have tired, aching, swollen legs, or if you see the beginning of varicose veins, this means that you are at a risk. Vein problems can progressively worsen over time and can affect your health for the rest of your life. Much can be done to decrease the risk of developing venous disorders.

Tired Legs is an unpleasant or uncomfortable feeling in the legs, which manifests more mostly at the end of the day (evenings and nights). In order to spread awareness about enhancing lifestyle by taking care of one’s legs, Yogikripa Medichem, a leading medical service provider company and that also has been very active in various social front has launched a website www.tiredlegs.in. If anyone is experiencing tired and aching Legs, one can log into their website and get all the necessary details and also further information they can call on helpline no or SMS “LEGS” to 93-2110-2110, write in at [email protected] or simply visit www.tiredlegs.in.

Mr. Manish Gupta, Director, Yogikripa Medichem said “The idea of launching such a website struck to us post we organized a health check up camp called Secure Steps in various corporates, clubs, housing societies etc, wherein we screened the participants and help them to understand this problem and how to deal with it so that they can play a proactive role in their own well being. The work place today, poses a threat to employees for various occupational health hazards such as tired and aching legs and swollen feet by the end of the day, due long hours of sitting or standing at one place which may lead to less blood circulation. Sedentary lifestyle along with increased stress levels only adds to the risk.”

Ms Anchal Gupta, Director, Yogikripa Medichem said “Till date we have screened around 2091 people from different segments of the society and have found varying levels of venous insufficiencies in them. We screened around 147 people from different housing societies and found around 66.40% having venous insufficiencies,1104 corporates were screened and 60.72% of them had some or the other kind of venous insufficiency, we also screened 181 teachers and found 42% having venous insufficiencies, and 115 women in general were screened and we found 74.76% of them with venous insufficiencies”.

Mr. Manish B. Gupta & Mrs. Anchal M. Gupta, Directors, Yogikripa Medichem during the launch of Triedlegs.in commented “The main motive behind the launch of this website is that most of the time people do not even know that they are suffering from a problem that is easily preventable. Usually housewives, professionals who are traveling, teachers, Police personnel and someone who has a desk job or whose job entails long hours of standing, are the people who suffer from this problem of swollen feet, cramps and in general tired and aching legs. Tiredlegs.in was thus launched to spread awareness about this problem by providing tips to maintain good health of legs.”

Dr. Sivaramakrishnan, Lifestyle Management Consultant, P D Hinduja Hospital and Past President of IAOH said “Lifestyle today has become totally sedentary with only mental activity. There is Worklife imbalance. The day of an individual is full of sedentary activity with absence of physical activity. Exercise remains at the lowest levels of priority. The levels of mental stress is high both at the personal and occupational arena. Overweight and Obesity is on the increase. A sedentary lifestyle appears to increase the risk of pulmonary embolism among middle-age women, an analysis of the Nurses’ Health Study showed. This is the latest of studies done by Harvard Medical School and published on 6th July 2011. Women who sat for more than 40 hours per week had double the risk of developing a pulmonary embolism than those who were sedentary for less time, according to the Nurses’ Health Study. Lack of exercise and obesity leads to decreased muscle strength and power. This leads to poor muscle pump, which prevents a good venous flow. The lack of physical activity again leads to poor venous flow. This is a predisposing factor for Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Jobs that involves standing for a long time leads to continuous pressure on the venous valves, which makes them incompetent, which leads to varicose veins.”

Dr. Sivaramakrishnan further said “DVT is also seen among air travelers. Today, with longer flight the incidence of DVT amongst travelers is on the ascendancy. It is prevalent more in the economy class of travelers as economy class has less leg space and restricts movements of the passenger. Many Corporates as a part of their cost optimization have shifted to economy class travel, which only would increase the incidences. Many of the economy class syndrome patients land into Pulmonary embolism, which has poor prognosis and can be many a times fatal.”

Dr. Pankaj Patel, Vascular Surgeon, Consultant at Lilavati and Fortis Hospital said “Legs form the pillar of our body. The foundation if not strong can lead to a collapse in the structure above. God made us to walk on 4 legs. Unfortunately this was challenged and we are currently walking and standing on 2 legs. We have to face the consequences of this structural man made changes. Varicose veins is the result of prolonged standing. This leads to dilated tortuous veins in the leg. This leads to cramp like dull aches in the calf. This is seen more in women than men. Pregnancy causes the symptoms to worsen and the veins get more engorged. In India very few people come for treatment due to cosmetic purposes. The presentation is always delayed and with complications like bleeding, clotting and ulceration. Newer modalities of treatment such as Endovenous laser and Radio frequency ablation has given good results and made this treatment a daycare procedure. The availability of good quality stockings is also helping patients in preventing varicose veins. Deep vein thrombosis occurs due to blood clot in the inner veins of the leg, leading to swelling and pain. It can be fatal if the clot travels to the lung. This is an occupational hazard and seen in people with sedentary life style. Wearing appropriate stockings and regular exercises help in preventing DVT. Restless leg syndrome is pain in the calf the cause of which is not know. Regular calf muscle exercise and hydration helps in decreasing the pain.”

Dr.Padma Ramkrishnan, Gynaecologist, Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital and Padmalaya Maternity & surgical Home said “ The common leg health problems in pregnancy are swollen feet, tired aching legs, cramps in the calf muscles and feeling of heaviness. These aggravate with history of varicose veins , in women who sit or stand for long hours, who do not exercise, excessive weight gains and in women who are pregnant more than once. The incidence of varicose veins in a predisposed first pregnancy is 30% but increases to 50% in subsequent pregnancies. The factors contributing to this leg health problem are : the effect of progesterone hormone that relaxes the tone of the vein and relaxes the ligaments of the muscles, increase in blood volume by 40-50%, pressure of the growing fetal head in the pelvis compresses the veins and there by even damaging the vein valves. The leg problems can be prevented by daily exercise or even a brisk walk, to keep within the recommended weight range, elevate legs and feet whenever possible avoidance of crossing the legs or ankles when sitting, to sleep on the left hand side in advanced pregnancy there by reducing the pressure on the veins, avoid sitting or standing for long hours without breaks, to wear special leg support, i.e. graduated compression stockings, avoid exposure to intense heat specially sauna that can dilate the veins”.

Dr Kalpana Aggarwal, Physiotherapist Head, Orthopaedic Physiotherapy, Medanta Bone & Joint Institute Delhi said “Moderate level exercises should be done. Recent studies have shown that 3 sessions of aerobic exercise training per week significantly reduced the symptoms of RLS (after 12 weeks). Daily activity, including moderate aerobic exercise and lower-body resistance training significantly reduces the symptoms of tired legs syndrome. Swimming, walking, stair climbing, or few minutes of doing jumping jacks are very effective exercises. Calf, quadriceps and hamstring stretches should be done regularly.”

Dr.Abhay A. Bhave MD, FRCPA Consultant Haematologis, said, “Tired and Aching legs is a very common phenomenon and is characterized by a feeling of heaviness and aching in the legs, particularly at the end of the day and in the summertime. It affects different strata of people across varied professions such as doctors, teachers, policemen, nurses, IT professionals, active sportsmen……etc irrespective of their age and gender. These may manifest into restless legs syndrome, varicose veins and at times clots in the legs. Immobility and sedentary lifestyle adds to this risk. Thus putting even frequent travelers and professionals (sitting long hours on desk jobs) at risk. Tired and Aching legs should be taken seriously as the problem can cause a disabling pain that can have an effect on quality of life and your working life on a day to day basis. It is essential to recognise it and take necessary precautions to lead a simpler life and improve your quality of life. Simple lifestyle modifications such as exercise, diet and awareness along with compression support socks can enhance your lifestyle.”

Dr Ranjini Krishnaswamy, Principal, St. Gregorios High School, while speaking on behalf of the problems associated with teachers said “Teachers world over keep standing for hours as they continue to teach, make a point or correct an error. Often this standing could be for 2-3 hours at a stretch, creating a tremendous pressure on the legs and feet. Sometimes, wearing wrong shoes or high heels only add to the problem. The result is varicose veins and knee trouble. Worse still they don’t even know why these issues occur. If some kind of education or information was given to people having similar professions then these issues can be brought to light and preventive action can be taken. So many people could be spared the ordeal of surgery, medication or an equally uncomfortable process. I am thankful to Yogikripa Medichem who has taken this first step to educate the masses.”

Mr.Jhankar Gadkari, AIR INDIA in-flight cabin crew said “I am in the profession (inflight service cabin crew of an Air line) which involves long hours of standing which would result in extreme discomfort to my feet and calves. The pain would persist even whilst resting. However, after using support socks not only has my pain in legs and calves reduced but also that I’m more relaxed and focused on my work”.

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