Effects of strengthening the surae triceps muscle on venous pump function in chronic venous insufficiency

Background  Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a common disease that causes calf muscle pump dysfunction and has repercussions for the hemodynamics of the structures involved.

Objectives  To analyze the effects on venous hemodynamics of exercises to strengthen the calf muscles in patients with CVI.

Methods  The study analyzed 25 lower limbs with CVI, classified from C1 to C5 according to the Clinical, Etiology, Anatomy, and Pathophysiology (CEAP) classification, in 13 patients recruited from a Lymphedema and Angiodysplasia Clinic at the Hospital Universitário Regional dos Campos Gerais (Brazil). The variables analyzed were collected by isometric dynamometry, goniometry, leg circumference measurement, and adipometry at baseline, after 1 month and 2 months and at the end of the exercise protocol.

Results  Dorsiflexion and plantar flexion measurements increased by 5º (p < 0.001). Adipometry detected a reduction in 5 mm (p < 0.001). When grouped by CEAP class, C2 exhibited 5º increases in dorsiflexion (p = 0.02) and plantar flexion (p < 0.001); C3 exhibited a 5ºincrease in dorsiflexion (p = 0.003) and a 1mm reduction in adipometry (p < 0.004); and C1 exhibited a 1.2cm increase in leg circumference (p = 0.04).

Conclusions  Administration of exercise protocols should be considered as a treatment option for CVI, since it has a positive impact on risk factors and on the functions that are impaired by this pathology.

Keywords:
chronic venous insufficiency; physical exercise; physical activity