![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Soleus-600w-Sonostics-Inc-photo.jpg\")
<\/a>Soleus muscle. Photo: Sonostics Inc.<\/p><\/div>\n
Soleus Muscles: The Body\u2019s \u201cSecond Heart\u201d<\/h3>\n
Even though it might not seem like it, your leg muscles determine how effectively your circulatory system works. The amount of blood that your heart can pump out during each contraction, or cardiac output, is linked to the amount of blood that is returned to the heart from your veins.<\/p>\n
When a person is lying down, the heart produces enough pressure to circulate your blood out through the body and then back to the heart. But when a person is sitting or standing, gravity pulls blood down into the legs. And getting this blood back to the heart requires significant pressure.<\/p>\n
The soleus muscles work against gravity to maintain circulation. These are specialized muscles that contain large venous chambers that store large amounts of blood until the muscles contract. Most people can\u2019t feel these muscles contracting, but they pump in our legs about once every two seconds or three seconds. These muscles exert enough force in each pump to send blood from the feet all the way back to the heart. Because these muscles play such an important role in the return of blood to the heart, they are commonly called the \u201csecondary hearts\u201d of the body.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Circulatory-flow-600w-Sonostics-Inc.jpg\")
<\/a>Circulatory flow. Photo: Sonostics Inc.<\/p><\/div>\n
Soleus Muscle Insufficiency<\/h3>\n
Problems arise when the soleus muscles of the lower leg aren\u2019t strong enough. Without enough force, these muscles aren\u2019t able to send blood back to the heart. This condition, called soleus muscle insufficiency, can lead to a weak circulatory system and even heart problems.<\/p>\n
Soleus muscle insufficiency is an exceedingly common issue. Typical signs are swollen ankles, painful joints, varicose veins, nighttime leg cramps, venous ulcers, and poor lower limb wound healing. The reduced output from the heart can result in a drop in resting metabolic rate, which can lead to weight gain, chronic fatigue, and also memory and attention deficits.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/20180425_121028.jpg-Sonostics-Inc-600h.jpg\")
<\/a>HeartPartner by Sonostics is a passive soleus muscle exercise device. Photo: Sonostics Inc.<\/p><\/div>\n
Strengthen Soleus Muscles With Exercise<\/h3>\n
The major cause of soleus muscle insufficiency isn\u2019t aging but is instead our modern lifestyles. When our ancient ancestors wanted to rest, they\u2019d squat on their haunches, an activity that requires extensive soleus muscle activity. Now, we sit in chairs\u2014an activity that does not require any soleus muscle activity.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, it is possible to protect your soleus muscles from weakening, or rebuild them if they are failing you. Of course, squatting instead of sitting is the most helpful. But performing toe stands throughout the day can be helpful, and so can taking up tai chi <\/a>or Yoga\u2014both of which can involve substantial soleus muscles activity.<\/p>\n Of course, not everyone can fit in toe stands throughout the day. So, you can also integrate various \u201cpassive\u201d types of exercise with equipment that\u2019s designed to strengthen your soleus muscles and protect your circulatory system. One example of a passive soleus muscle exercise device is the HeartPartner<\/a> by Sonostics. This device relies on mechanical stimulation of nerve endings on the feet to activate a reflex arc, which then initiates soleus muscle contraction. This approach allows the user to keep their socks and shoes on during the exercise session, which makes it convenient to use at home and in the workplace.<\/p>\n Regardless of the exercise program you choose, the important thing is to keep your soleus muscles in shape. Your heart and your health depend on maintaining strong, healthy legs.<\/p>\n Want to protect your circulatory system? Focus on your legs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7595,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[93,94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spring-summer-2018","category-spring-summer-2018-columns"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7541"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7541\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7844,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7541\/revisions\/7844"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Dr. Kenneth McLeod received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT and completed postdoctoral studies in anatomy and cell biology at Tufts University. His research expertise is in the area of electromagnetic interactions with living tissue.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"