What Are the Benefits of Elevating Your Legs?

Sitting or lying down with your legs elevated can offer several health advantages, such as supporting circulation and decreasing pressure, among other benefits.

Many people spend much of their day either sitting or standing. Because of that, it often feels good to rest and unwind occasionally.

It’s even possible to obtain certain health gains from propping your feet up and raising your legs.

In this article, we’ll examine the health advantages of leg elevation, the conditions it can help with, and precautions to keep in mind.

What are the health benefits of leg elevation?

Positioning yourself with your legs raised while sitting or lying down can provide multiple potential health benefits. Let’s look at them in more detail.

Improves blood flow

Raising your legs can enhance circulation in your lower limbs. How does this work? The straightforward answer is gravity.

Oxygen-poor blood returns to the heart via your veins. Compared with arteries, vein pressure is fairly low. To propel blood, veins rely on small valves and the contraction of surrounding muscles to push blood back toward the heart.

When you sit or stand, the blood in your legs must work against gravity to return to the heart.

Elevating the legs places them above heart level, so gravity now assists circulation. This can help improve venous blood flow in your legs.

Reduces swelling

Swelling can occur from excess fluid buildup (edema) or from inflammation. Injuries or certain medical conditions may lead to swelling in the legs.

Similar to its effect on circulation, raising your legs above heart level may help excess fluid drain more effectively.

Lowers pressure

Long periods of standing or sitting can cause blood to pool in leg veins. This pooling raises pressure in those veins and may contribute to problems like varicose veins.

Elevating your legs helps reduce pressure by allowing pooled blood to drain away.

If you’ve been on your feet for an extended stretch, sitting with your legs elevated can also relieve pressure and soreness in tired feet.

What conditions can it help?

Having covered the possible health benefits of elevating your legs, let’s review some specific conditions where it can be beneficial.

Vein conditions

Extended periods of sitting, standing, or inactivity can elevate your risk for vein disorders. Raising your legs may help prevent or ease several vein-related issues, such as:

• Superficial thrombophlebitis. This is a clot in a vein just beneath the skin that can cause tenderness and swelling. Some cases are low-risk, while others may be linked to deep vein thrombosis.
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DVT occurs when a clot forms in a deep leg vein. Such clots can obstruct blood flow, causing leg pain or swelling, and may travel to the lungs, resulting in a pulmonary embolism.
• Varicose veins. Varicose veins develop when blood pools in superficial veins, making them appear swollen, blue, and twisted. Symptoms often worsen after long periods of sitting or standing.
• Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). CVI arises when blood can’t efficiently return to the heart and instead pools in the legs. It can cause symptoms such as pain, swelling, and varicose veins.

Injuries

When a leg injury occurs, symptoms often include pain, tenderness, and swelling. Elevating the leg may help ease these symptoms.

After surgery

Raising the legs after surgery can reduce pain and swelling. Additionally, blood clots (such as DVT or thrombophlebitis) are a concern following operations, particularly hip or leg procedures.

Although gentle movement and avoiding prolonged immobility are important, intermittent leg elevation may help lower clot risk.

During pregnancy

Swelling in the lower limbs is common during pregnancy, often due to increased fluid retention, hormonal shifts, and pressure from the growing uterus. Elevating the legs can help relieve that swelling.

Cellulitis

Cellulitis is a bacterial skin infection that enters through breaks in the skin and causes redness, tenderness, and swelling.

While antibiotics treat the infection itself, if cellulitis affects an arm or leg, a doctor may recommend elevating the limb above heart level to help reduce swelling.

Lymphedema

Lymphedema arises from damage to the lymphatic system, causing lymph fluid to accumulate and leading to swelling in parts of the body, including the legs.

Lymphedema is progressive, meaning it tends to worsen over time.

Leg elevation may help reduce swelling in early stages but is less effective in advanced stages.

How to elevate your legs

The duration and frequency of leg elevation depend on the issue you’re addressing.

Here’s an example of how to elevate your legs to help relieve symptoms from varicose veins.

Are there any precautions to be aware of?

If you’re considering elevating your legs, keep a few points in mind.

First, if you have an existing medical condition, consult your doctor to confirm it’s safe for you. That’s a good practice before trying any new treatment.

Your physician may provide specific advice on how to perform leg elevation for your situation. In some cases, leg elevation might not be recommended.

Next, make sure your body is adequately supported. Lie on a surface that gives good support to your back.

Remember that your legs should be elevated above heart level. Using a pillow to prop up your legs can be helpful. You might even consider a pillow made specifically for leg elevation.

Finally, follow your doctor’s directions if you’re recovering from an injury or surgery. If leg elevation is part of your recovery plan, adhere to guidance on how often and how long to do it.

The bottom line

Raising your legs can offer several health advantages, including improved circulation, reduced inflammation, and decreased venous pressure in the legs.

Leg elevation can help ease symptoms of varicose veins, reduce pregnancy-related swelling, and may aid in preventing blood clots after surgery.

Ensure you have sufficient support for your back and legs before attempting leg elevation. If you have an underlying health issue, consult your doctor before trying this approach.