Long-term poor blood flow in the leg veins, also known as chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), is a chronic illness. It occurs when the veins in the leg cannot return blood to the heart, resulting in increased blood pressure in the legs. The term CVI encompasses a wide spectrum of symptoms including feelings of heaviness in the legs, itching, tingling, cramps, pain, oedema (swellings), varicose veins, skin pigmentation, signs of skin atrophy and venous ulceration.
CVI causes considerable discomfort, which in turn has a significant impact on ability to work. It is a common condition particularly among people who are required to stand at work. Non-pharmacological interventions such as compression stockings or cushioned flooring and strategies such as taking rest breaks or doing exercises have been postulated to be effective in the prevention of CVI in standing workers. Yet the true effect of such interventions is relatively unknown. One cross-over trial of 19 female flight attendants who were required to stand, almost continuously, for long periods of time, and who did not have any symptoms of CVI at the start of the study, were included in this review.
The trial finding suggested that compression stockings did reduce symptoms associated with CVI including aching of the legs, discomfort, fatigue, swelling and tiredness. However, this evidence was from a very small study. Due to the extremely limited number of trials available, we could not assess the effectiveness of other non-pharmacological interventions in the prevention of this condition. Nor could we ascertain if any intervention had an effect on quality of life or an economic impact such as reducing the number of days of sick leave or work disability. Further research that looks at a broad range of proposed interventions in a clearly defined standing worker population is required.