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The American Vein Institute |
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Exclusively Focused On Vein Care |
How Veins Work |
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How Veins Work Location and Directions Pre-Op and Post-Op Instructions Privacy Policies
The cardio-vascular system is made up of the
heart, arteries and veins. Arteries circulate bright red oxygenated blood to
the vital organs and tissues from the heart and veins return the dark blue
de-oxygenated blood back to the heart from the vital organs and tissues of
the body.
The venous system of the legs is divided anatomically between superficial veins and the deep venous system (femoral veins). The job of the superficial venous system is pumping blood to the deep venous system. The deep venous system pumps blood up the leg into the pelvis and back to the heart.
In the standing or reclining position the venous blood is pumped into the deep vein system (femoral vein) of the legs from the lower leg, thigh and into the pelvis. If you are lying down with your feet up gravity becomes the force to allow venous blood to flow into the deep venous system along the entire leg back to the heart. In the standing position the venous blood is actively pumped up the veins in the leg. This is achieved when your leg muscles squeeze the superficial and deep venous systems.
When the muscles relax, the venous blood is prone to rush back down the leg veins. To prevent this from happening the venous valves in the vein close during sitting and standing when the leg muscles relax. This is supposed to prevent vein blood from flowing backwards down the vein.
The pictures below show normal and abnormal vein function. The red arrows indicate the direction of venous blood flow.
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Normal Vein Function |
Abnormal Vein Function |
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