Whats the difference between arteries and veins?
Most people with varicose and spider veins are self-diagnosing. To better understand what is going on to cause varicose and spider veins we must know what the difference between arteries and veins are. Both are designed to carry blood in only one direction – like cars on a freeway. The difference is quite simple. Arteries carry blood away from the heart and bring it to the extremities. Veins do the opposite. Veins carry blood back to the heart from the extremities. In the legs they must do so against gravity. How do are they able to bring blood back against gravity from the legs to the heart? They do so with the help of one-way valves in the veins. They allow blood to travel up but not back down towards the feet.
