The intense San Antonio heat is something we have learned to accept and live with. We’re used to it. But our circulatory system is just limping along. SA Metro Health had already logged more than 330 heat-related illness cases by early August, many more cases than this time last year.
Calf Cramps are Warning Signs
Heavy sweating drains water and the electrolytes that your muscles need to contract and release normally. Lose enough and the muscles lock up.
A cramp that hits while you’re working or exercising in the heat is a heat cramp, and it’s the earliest stage of heat illness. Stop. Get somewhere cool. Pushing through takes you toward heat exhaustion.
Why Your Veins Pop Out
Your body pushes blood toward the skin to shed heat, which widens the veins closest to the surface. This is normal, and the veins often recede from the surface once you cool down.
If your vein valves are already leaky, August heat exaggerates everything. Heat widens vein valves that don’t seal, so more blood pools in your calves and ankles. Swelling starts earlier in the day. Legs feel heavy by mid-afternoon. Likely, you haven’t gotten worse overnight. Heat just brings symptoms to the surface earlier in the day.
August is also the month people shed their compression stockings, right when the stockings are most needed to do the work.
What to Do
Get out of the heat before you finish yard work. Water can replace ordinary sweating but after hours of heavy sweating, a lower-sugar electrolyte drink replaces the sodium you lost. A cool shower helps the body recalibrate its temperature. Wait several hours after cramps stop before going back to strenuous activity.
When to Call 911
If you or someone you love experience confusion, slurred speech, fainting or very high body temperature, call 911. Heat stroke is a medical emergency and can cause permanent injury or death.
Medical Vein Clinic® can help frequent calf cramps when you haven’t been in the heat. If you experience leg swelling, warmth, redness or tenderness in one leg only, give us a call as soon as possible for an evaluation. Dehydration can lead to blood clots which should be evaluated immediately. If discovered over a weekend, get into an urgent care for a same day evaluation. Getting seen quickly with these symptoms can literally be life-saving.