If you’ve ever felt dizzy or lightheaded when standing up too quickly, you might be experiencing postural hypotension, a common and often overlooked condition that affects blood pressure and circulation. As a physiotherapist and founder of InisLiving, a health and wellness brand focused on functional movement, Christina Foley sees this frequently in older adults, people with limited mobility, and those recovering from surgery. The good news? With simple, low-impact calf exercises, you can improve circulation and help prevent that drop in blood pressure that leaves you feeling off balance. Here’s what you need to know and how to stay steady on your feet.
Understanding Postural Hypotension: Why Movement Matters
As a physiotherapist and founder of InishLiving, a brand rooted in holistic health and wellness, Christina Foley often works with clients experiencing a condition called postural hypotension, also known as orthostatic hypotension. It’s more common than many realise, especially among older adults, people recovering from surgery, or those living with certain medical conditions like diabetes, low blood pressure or cardiovascular disease.
Here Christina Explains Why It Happens and Simple Exercises to Prevent It.
In simple terms, it’s a sudden drop in blood pressure when you change positions, for example, moving from sitting to standing. This drop can cause dizziness, lightheadedness, or even fainting. It happens because the body struggles to adjust quickly enough to the shift in position, and the brain doesn’t get the blood supply it needs at that moment.
Your heart is a powerful pump that pushes oxygenated blood out to your body. Once that blood has circulated, it needs to return to the heart to be recirculated. But gravity isn’t always on our side, especially when we’re standing or inactive. That’s where your calf muscles come in. I often refer to the calf as your “second heart” , a secondary pump that helps push blood back up from your lower limbs to your heart and brain.
Now, imagine someone who’s just had surgery and is lying in bed. Their heart is still doing its job, but if they’re not moving, blood can begin to pool in the legs. Without muscle activity to help push it back up, the system becomes sluggish. The result? If that person suddenly tries to sit or stand, their brain may not receive blood quickly enough, leading to that telltale dizziness, postural hypotension.
That’s why movement is so crucial, even when you’re resting.
If you’re recovering, inactive, or have circulation issues, there are small but effective exercises you can do to keep your blood flowing. One of the easiest ways to do this is what call the calf pump. While sitting, simply lift your heels off the ground while keeping your toes down like you’re wearing high heels, then lower your heels and lift your toes. Squeeze the calf muscles as you do this. Repeat this ten times. It’s a simple action, but incredibly powerful.
You can also do this standing, holding onto something for balance if needed. This pumping motion mimics the natural muscle activity we’d usually get from walking or moving around. It’s particularly useful for those with limited mobility, older adults, or anyone with a history of cardiovascular or circulatory conditions.
You’ll notice that hospitals often use machines to do something similar. After surgery, patients might have compression pumps at the base of their beds. These devices mimic the pumping action of the calves to keep the circulatory system active when someone can’t get out of bed.
At InisLiving, we believe in small, intentional actions that support long-term health. Encouraging regular calf pumps is just one example of a simple, accessible movement that can make a real difference in managing postural hypotension and improving overall circulation. It’s a reminder that movement, no matter how small, is medicine.
So whether you’re recovering, visiting a loved one in hospital, or just want to support healthy blood flow during long periods of sitting, try ten little pumps. Think of it as waking up your second heart, and keeping your whole body that little bit stronger.
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