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Which muscles called peripheral heart and how it's pump blood

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calf muscle pump peripheral heart venous return valves physiology

The calf muscles, mainly the soleus and gastrocnemius, are called the peripheral heart or second heart.
They help return blood from the legs to the heart, especially while standing or walking.
How the calf muscle pump works:
  1. When you walk or move your ankle, the calf muscles contract.
  2. They squeeze the deep veins within and between the muscles.
  3. This pushes venous blood upward toward the heart.
  4. One-way valves inside the veins prevent blood from flowing backward down toward the feet.
  5. When the muscles relax, the veins refill with blood, ready for the next contraction.
So, calf muscles do not pump blood like the actual heart does. Instead, their repeated contraction plus the vein valves overcome gravity and assist venous return. The foot muscles also contribute, but the calf pump is the main one. Textbooks describe the deep calf veins and soleal sinuses emptying into larger leg veins during calf contraction. Bailey and Love's Short Practice of Surgery, section “Venous Pathophysiology,” lines 8853-8869.
If the calf muscles are inactive for a long time, such as during prolonged sitting, bed rest, paralysis, or immobility, blood can pool in the legs. This is why ankle movements and walking help circulation.
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