If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Blood volume?
Hi All,
I have a very serious set of varicose veins in my calf, and I have recently started using a tight support stocking occasionaly. I have not used it while cycling or skiing, untli today. Today I went sking (both classic and freestyle) and I felt like I was unstoppable. It was a strange feeling. I do not recall ever being so on top of my game while skiing before. It was a strange feeling. I estimate I normally have 3-4 deciliters (or more) of blood sitting pooled in these veins. Normally the blood just sits there and fluids accumulate in my leg in a grotesque swelling manner. With these support hose, the pooling is virtually non-existant. Is it possible that this "extra" 3-4 dl circulating somehow improved my oxygen transport such that I felt like da man today? Joseph |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Blood volume?
|
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Blood volume?
On Jan 29, 6:56 am, Chris Cole wrote: wrote: Hi All, I have a very serious set of varicose veins in my calf, and I have recently started using a tight support stocking occasionaly. I have not used it while cycling or skiing, untli today. Today I went sking (both classic and freestyle) and I felt like I was unstoppable. It was a strange feeling. I do not recall ever being so on top of my game while skiing before. It was a strange feeling. I estimate I normally have 3-4 deciliters (or more) of blood sitting pooled in these veins. Normally the blood just sits there and fluids accumulate in my leg in a grotesque swelling manner. With these support hose, the pooling is virtually non-existant. Is it possible that this "extra" 3-4 dl circulating somehow improved my oxygen transport such that I felt like da man today? JosephHi Joseph, The extra oxygen-carrying capacity of the normally-pooled blood in your legs would provide some improvement in your aerobic performance, but it's difficult to say how large that effect would be. The additional benefit of the stockings returning venous blood to your heart more expeditiously is that the "used" blood, lower in pH, is moved away from the tissues faster. The reduction in venous congestion also means that, perhaps a little counter-intuitively, despite your muscles being squeezed, the resistance to incoming arteriolar blood is reduced and so your muscles are better-perfused with fresh, oxygen-rich blood while you're wearing the stockings. "Skins" have become popular amongst many professional (and amateur) sportspeople over the past few years, as they are beneficial even if you don't have varicose veins or other peripheral oedema problems. Here in Australia we see them used most prominently by a few of our national cricket players. I'm pondering the merits of buying some for use in the upcoming (for us) ski season, for the abovementioned reasons but also because they provide a thermally active, wicking base layer of clothing. =) Regards, Chris Hi Chris, That is quite interesting. I wonder how tight these "skins" are? The socks I have (knee high) are available in thigh high versions as well. The ones I have are rated as 15-20 mmHg. I don't know what those units are, but I assume they are a measure of how hard they compress the legs. They are quite sheer and I wear them under a thin wool sock while skiing. Perhaps the effect you suggest with incoming blood having an easier time of things has some merit. I think it was while skating that I noticed the greatest difference. Skating (at least the way I do it!) uses much more calf muscles and this combined with my calves being on the muscular side may have meant I had lots to gain by such assistance. Joseph |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Blood volume?
Joe,
I had a very successful operation to rid myself of veins like you describe. Recovery time is nearly nothing, on your feet in hours, running within a week. The guy that did my leg was no cowboy, really took his time, mapped the whole venous system and FIXED my leg. I would be happy to tell you about it. I pump allot of blood through my leg - I'm training for my first ultra - only dream prior to the operation. /john On Jan 26, 12:31 pm, wrote: Hi All, I have a very serious set of varicose veins in my calf, and I have recently started using a tight support stocking occasionaly. I have not used it while cycling or skiing, untli today. Today I went sking (both classic and freestyle) and I felt like I was unstoppable. It was a strange feeling. I do not recall ever being so on top of my game while skiing before. It was a strange feeling. I estimate I normally have 3-4 deciliters (or more) of blood sitting pooled in these veins. Normally the blood just sits there and fluids accumulate in my leg in a grotesque swelling manner. With these support hose, the pooling is virtually non-existant. Is it possible that this "extra" 3-4 dl circulating somehow improved my oxygen transport such that I felt like da man today? Joseph |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Blood volume?
On Jan 30, 3:57 pm, "jgs" wrote: Joe, I had a very successful operation to rid myself of veins like you describe. Recovery time is nearly nothing, on your feet in hours, running within a week. The guy that did my leg was no cowboy, really took his time, mapped the whole venous system and FIXED my leg. I would be happy to tell you about it. I pump allot of blood through my leg - I'm training for my first ultra - only dream prior to the operation. /john Hi John, Thanks for the input. I have been on the waiting list for over a year for just such an operation. I live in Norway, and I figure I should get _something_ for my $8/gal gas, 25% sales tax, and huge income tax! ;-) That is good to know about the recovery time. That is something I have not been able to get anyone to commit to. Obvioulsy it is rather individual, but I assume the docs here are taking a conservative line when they talk about recovery, as they have all sorts of folks to deal with. But knowing a fit person such as yourself was running within a week is very comforting. I have been thinking about having the operation done on my own dime in LA, combining with a visit to my family. But I wasn't sure about how much I'd be out of commision, and how much of a burden it would be to have me around for them. Sounds like it's not that big a deal. Joseph On Jan 26, 12:31 pm, wrote: Hi All, I have a very serious set of varicose veins in my calf, and I have recently started using a tight support stocking occasionaly. I have not used it while cycling or skiing, untli today. Today I went sking (both classic and freestyle) and I felt like I was unstoppable. It was a strange feeling. I do not recall ever being so on top of my game while skiing before. It was a strange feeling. I estimate I normally have 3-4 deciliters (or more) of blood sitting pooled in these veins. Normally the blood just sits there and fluids accumulate in my leg in a grotesque swelling manner. With these support hose, the pooling is virtually non-existant. Is it possible that this "extra" 3-4 dl circulating somehow improved my oxygen transport such that I felt like da man today? Joseph |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Blood volume?
Joe,
I was helped by - 'The Vein Institute of the North Shore, Dr. Tom Dooley', north of Boston. I had, had two prior surgeries that were not nearly as well thought out. The procedure I had done was a; greater saphenous vein ligation. I planned mine to be done after ski season and before the running, biking, hiking seasons. Down time was really nothing and I when I got back to training I could hammer like never before. If you were going to go to LA, the North Shore guys might be able to refer you to someone. /john On Jan 30, 10:34 am, " wrote: On Jan 30, 3:57 pm, "jgs" wrote: Joe, I had a very successful operation to rid myself of veins like you describe. Recovery time is nearly nothing, on your feet in hours, running within a week. The guy that did my leg was no cowboy, really took his time, mapped the whole venous system and FIXED my leg. I would be happy to tell you about it. I pump allot of blood through my leg - I'm training for my first ultra - only dream prior to the operation. /johnHi John, Thanks for the input. I have been on the waiting list for over a year for just such an operation. I live in Norway, and I figure I should get _something_ for my $8/gal gas, 25% sales tax, and huge income tax! ;-) That is good to know about the recovery time. That is something I have not been able to get anyone to commit to. Obvioulsy it is rather individual, but I assume the docs here are taking a conservative line when they talk about recovery, as they have all sorts of folks to deal with. But knowing a fit person such as yourself was running within a week is very comforting. I have been thinking about having the operation done on my own dime in LA, combining with a visit to my family. But I wasn't sure about how much I'd be out of commision, and how much of a burden it would be to have me around for them. Sounds like it's not that big a deal. Joseph On Jan 26, 12:31 pm, wrote: Hi All, I have a very serious set of varicose veins in my calf, and I have recently started using a tight support stocking occasionaly. I have not used it while cycling or skiing, untli today. Today I went sking (both classic and freestyle) and I felt like I was unstoppable. It was a strange feeling. I do not recall ever being so on top of my game while skiing before. It was a strange feeling. I estimate I normally have 3-4 deciliters (or more) of blood sitting pooled in these veins. Normally the blood just sits there and fluids accumulate in my leg in a grotesque swelling manner. With these support hose, the pooling is virtually non-existant. Is it possible that this "extra" 3-4 dl circulating somehow improved my oxygen transport such that I felt like da man today? Joseph |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Blood volume?
On Jan 30, 5:44 pm, "jgs" wrote: Joe, I was helped by - 'The Vein Institute of the North Shore, Dr. Tom Dooley', north of Boston. I had, had two prior surgeries that were not nearly as well thought out. The procedure I had done was a; greater saphenous vein ligation. I planned mine to be done after ski season and before the running, biking, hiking seasons. Down time was really nothing and I when I got back to training I could hammer like never before. If you were going to go to LA, the North Shore guys might be able to refer you to someone. /john My mothe rlives in Worcester, so maybe I could just visit her and go to that place. Had bad were yours? Joseph |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Blood volume?
Hi Chris, That is quite interesting. I wonder how tight these "skins" are? The socks I have (knee high) are available in thigh high versions as well. The ones I have are rated as 15-20 mmHg. I don't know what those units are, but I assume they are a measure of how hard they compress the legs. They are quite sheer and I wear them under a thin wool sock while skiing. Hi Joseph, I have yet to try "skins" on, so I can't really comment, but fiddling with them in the store, they feel fairly tight, certainly on the same order of magnitude as the TEDS type stockings you're describing (which do indeed come in knee-high and thigh-high versions). The units are millimetres of mercury, a measure of pressure. The SI unit is the Pascal, but certain pressures (blood pressure, etc.) are still expressed in equivalent mm of mercury (Hg) hence the mmHg abbreviation. Sometimes you'll also see cmH2O (centimetres of water) used. Normal central venous pressure is bugger-all, but the venous pressure in your legs can be markedly higher, due to the pressure of the column of blood above it (gravity's a bitch). Normally the system of valves in your veins alleviates this, by preventing the weight of the blood above the valve from pressing down on the blood below the valve, and adding to the cumulative pressure below. In varicose veins, some of these valves no longer function correctly, and in particular, the valves of the so-called perforating veins (the ones that link the big, deep veins in your calf, to the superficial ones you can see and feel) are faulty. This leads to blood from the large deep (and much higher pressure) veins "leaking" backwards into the smaller, weaker/less well supported superficial veins, adding dramatically to the pressure in them and leading to further valve failure in those superficial veins.... hey presto... varicose veins. Unfortunately it's something of a positive feedback problem. Surgery, in appropriately skilled hands, can make dramatic improvements in both appearance and performance for someone in your situation, but make sure you ask lots of questions and possibly even look at before/after photos of patients if the surgeon has them available. Kind regards, Chris Cole |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
However, independent of the veinous issues, there is an additional benefit to a tight fitting stocking or tights (or "skins") as studies have shown that the proprioceptive nerves in the legs, especially around the knees and ankles, can function more efficiently with an elastic wrap that hugs the surrounding tissues. I don't know the mechanism for this but remember reading this in the medical literature. This could lead to an improved sense of balance and leg/foot placement, thus improving skiing technique. Ed |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Improving longer distance?
"Ed Miller" wrote in message ... I do fairly well in shorter races but when I get much over an hour I fatigue, (esp legs) and my technique suffers, and some of the people I worked so hard to pass return the favor. Any general suggestions for improving more in longer races? background: fiftyish master skier, 6 years racing, regular skier for 10, gradual SLOW improvement, weak right leg from old ACL tear and reconstruction (done in the days before they had the operation fully worked out) Have always had good general strength but never much of an endurance guy prior to last 10 years. Thanks Can't do much this year except to ski at low heart rates for 2 to 3 times the length of you race distance. Don't expect it to help, and it may even hurt your racing this year. Off season is when you build endurance. It's about base, and you seem to be lacking in that area. You probably need to do long work outs 2 x week, and make them easy so that you don't burn out. Upper body endurance is important, so try to paddle or double pole on roller ski in the off season. Other wise walk up hill with poles, ride a bike, skate or do anything you like to do. As winter comes grows closer become more ski specific. With out knowing more specifics, like you max and resting HR, your goals, and the distance you plan to excel at, it's tough to make specific recommendations beyond reading or getting a coach. BTW I just picked up Sharkey and Gaskill's "Fitness and Health" which is a newly titled and improved version of a book by Sharkey published years ago. It would be a good place for you to start. Anything by these guys who are skiers would be good for you. Also see what Lee Borowski has written- it's ski specific. You'll likely have questions about LSD vs. intensity for building endurance. If you find out the answer, let us know it. Gary Jacobson Rosendale, NY |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
blood doping details Spain article | Ken Roberts | Nordic Skiing | 0 | July 26th 06 12:21 PM |
Lactic acid is good? need more mitochondria? | Ken Roberts | Nordic Skiing | 20 | June 8th 06 12:03 AM |
Progress in detecting blood doping? | pebo | Nordic Skiing | 0 | March 9th 06 06:47 AM |
High altitude: blood clot more likely? | [email protected] | Nordic Skiing | 3 | February 25th 06 03:08 PM |
Sad & a bit OT; was Fish Sauce. Was:Talcum Powder for Klister Removal | Chris Cline | Nordic Skiing | 4 | March 22nd 04 07:43 AM |