Impact of Physical Activity on Varicose Veins: an Experimental Study

Morphological changes in venous wall following physical exertion at early stages of varicose process are still unclear. Objective. To study the effect of physical exercise on morphological reorganization of venous wall in a model of varicose veins in dogs. Material and methods. The study included 20 mongrel sexually mature male dogs. In the 1st group, we studied normal anatomy of medial saphenous vein (5 dogs). In other animals, we created a model of varicose veins and distinguished additional 3 groups (5 dogs in each one). In the 2nd group (hypodynamia), animals were not walked. In the 3rd group (normodynamia), animals walked a distance of 5 kilometers daily. In the 4th group (hyperdynamia), animals walked a distance of 10 kilometers daily. All animals underwent Doppler ultrasound followed by morphological analysis of medial saphenous vein. Results. In all groups, stable clinical and morphological varicose transformation of the vein was formed. In the 2nd group, we observed luminal ectasia (p<0.005) and wall thinning (p<0.005) with atrophy of all its structures. In the 3rd group, there were proportional vein enlargement and wall thickening with mild hyperplastic changes. Venous wall in the 4th group was characterized by hyperplastic processes with 2-fold wall thickening (p<0.005) and narrowing of venous lumen (p<0.005). Conclusions. Physical activity contributed to venous wall hypertrophy (possibly compensatory). On the contrary, no physical activity led to significant vein enlargement with atrophic changes. Thus, physical activity can be a protective factor against varicose veins.