Muscle pump

Muscle pump for blood transport from the legs to the heart – muscle (1), vein (2)

Besides the valves, the so-called muscle pump has a major role in transporting blood from the legs to the heart. The deep veins in the leg are surrounded by muscles; muscular activity, such as walking or even just moving the foot, tenses and thickens the muscles.

In this way, the surrounding muscles put pressure on the veins and force the blood out of them. With functional valves, blood can flow in one direction only, that is to say, towards the heart, as the valves prevent it from flowing back towards the feet. A distinction is made between the different muscle pumps of the soles of the feet, the ankles, the calves, and the thighs depending on the muscle group involved.