What is a muscle calf pump?
As the name suggests, the muscle calf pump is a type of pump that is powered by muscle power. There are several muscle pumps in our body that are needed to transport or pump venous blood back to the heart. The muscle pump is responsible for driving blood circulation in the veins, especially in the legs. The muscle calf pump is the muscle pump in the calf.
How does a muscle pump work?
The muscle pump is nothing more than the support of the blood circulation through the movement of the muscles. The large veins run deep in the muscles. When we tense our muscles, the veins are compressed, which forces the blood through the veins towards the heart. The so-called venous valves ensure that the blood pumped upwards does not flow back. They work in a similar way to valves: if the blood flows towards the heart, they open. If the muscles relax, they close and prevent the backflow.
The importance of movement
When you move, the so-called muscle belly (the swelling of a skeletal muscle between its origin and insertion) acts like a pump, because the pressure of the muscle pumps the blood upwards. Without movement, however, little to nothing would happen in the veins, because every muscle movement exerts alternating pressure and suction on the veins. If the force - whether pressure or suction - on the veins were missing, the heart would have to work extremely hard and pump both the arterial blood and the venous blood through the entire body.
In other words, a muscle pump only works properly when it is activated by movement. That's why it's important to keep moving your legs and feet. Even if you have proven venous weakness, you can delay or even prevent the disease.
Which exercise is good for the muscle pump?
In and of itself, any movement of the legs and feet is good for activating the muscle pump. This means running, cycling, swimming, walking or hiking. If you work sitting down a lot, you should try to get up every now and then and take the stairs instead of using the elevator. Even when sitting down, you can still get moderate exercise - provided you sit on an ergonomic chair that allows movement, such as the Swopper from Aeris.
