In the supine recovery after exercise, which statement best describes venous return?

In the supine recovery after exercise, which statement best describes venous return?

• A. It decreases
• B. It has no effect
• C. It increases
• D. It fluctuates randomly

Answer: (C)

When you lie flat after exercise, gravity stops pulling blood into the legs, so blood from the lower body is more readily returned to the heart. Venous return is driven by the pressure gradient between peripheral veins and the right atrium and by mechanisms like the muscle and respiratory pumps. In the supine position, central venous pressure rises as blood is shifted toward the torso, increasing the amount returned to the heart. This redistribution helps maintain or briefly increase stroke volume and cardiac output during early recovery. The other statements don’t fit because standing or sitting would promote venous pooling and reduce return, there is a clear positional effect, and the change isn’t random.

When you lie flat after exercise, gravity stops pulling blood into the legs, so blood from the lower body is more readily returned to the heart. Venous return is driven by the pressure gradient between peripheral veins and the right atrium and by mechanisms like the muscle and respiratory pumps. In the supine position, central venous pressure rises as blood is shifted toward the torso, increasing the amount returned to the heart. This redistribution helps maintain or briefly increase stroke volume and cardiac output during early recovery. The other statements don’t fit because standing or sitting would promote venous pooling and reduce return, there is a clear positional effect, and the change isn’t random.