Varicose veins (or varicose veins) on the legs is a fairly common disease. Mostly women from 30 to 60 years old become its victims, especially if they suffer from diabetes mellitus or are overweight and have problems with posture. In addition, those people are sick with varicose veins, whose work obliges them to be in a standing or sitting position for a long time. Unfortunately, the number of cases is increasing every year. That is why it is important to know not only how to cure varicose veins on the legs, but also how to avoid it.
Reasons
Treatment of varicose veins, first of all, should be to eliminate the immediate cause of its occurrence. Below are the ones that are most common in everyday life:
- Being in an upright or sitting position for a long time;
- Overweight (obesity);
- Increased pressure in the veins of the lower extremities due to high loads with constipation, heavy lifting and pregnancy;
- Congenital or post-traumatic absence of venous valves in the vessels of the lower extremities.
It is possible to cure varicose veins on the legs only after getting rid of all the above factors. Otherwise, relapses of the disease cannot be avoided.
Symptoms
One of the most important signs of varicose veins is the appearance of bulging and nodular swellings along the veins of the lower extremities. Often this is accompanied by severe pain and heaviness in the legs, an unpleasant burning sensation may be added. In severe cases, episodic leg cramps and edema may occur, which, as a rule, appear in the late afternoon. A characteristic feature of varicose veins is the gradual thickening and darkening of the skin on the lower leg.
If left untreated, the walls of the affected vessels become inflamed and clogged with multiple blood clots. Over time, ulcers may develop on the skin. In the overwhelming majority of cases, such a development of events leads to rather formidable diseases, for example, thrombophlebitis or thrombosis.
In what situation should you see a doctor?
Varicose veins develop gradually, but sometimes it progresses quite quickly - in such cases, you cannot hesitate to see a doctor. For the acute course of the disease, the following symptoms are characteristic:
- Sharp pain that reaches such intensity that a person cannot move independently. This is accompanied by a feeling of heat and hardening of the skin on the legs;
- Shortness of breath, feeling weak and short of breath;
- Bleeding localized in the immediate vicinity of the affected venous vessels or from themselves.
Diagnostics
When the first signs of varicose veins appear, you should seek help from your doctor. As a rule, after carrying out standard examinations (examination, anamnesis, OAC, OAM), he refers such patients to a specialist dealing with vascular diseases (phlebologist) or immediately to a vascular surgeon.
In addition to basic diagnostic measures, they may be assigned:
- Vein ultrasound (duplex scanning);
- Contrast venography.
Treatment
Today there is no remedy for varicose veins, which would give a 100% result. Treatment should be carried out in a comprehensive manner using both surgical and therapeutic techniques.
Conservative treatment
The fight against varicose veins in the legs with the help of conservative methods is possible only in cases where the symptoms are just beginning to appear and there is no need to talk about possible complications. The main components of this treatment are:
- Diet;
- A set of special exercises;
- Compression therapy;
- Drug therapy.
Diet
As mentioned earlier, varicose veins mainly affect those people who are overweight. In this regard, one of the conditions for successful treatment, undoubtedly, is the observance of the correct diet, aimed at destroying extra pounds. There are many variations on how to compose your daily diet, but none of them should be followed without consulting your dietitian first.
As a rule, such diets involve avoiding any sweets, as well as those foods that contain a large amount of vegetable fiber.
Physical fitness
An excellent cure for varicose veins on the legs is physiotherapy exercises. There are a number of special exercises that can be performed to significantly slow down the progression of the disease, and sometimes completely get rid of it. Also, do not forget about walking in the fresh air (morning and evening) and swimming.
Important!In case of varicose veins, you should refrain from visiting the sauna, bath, not to take too hot a bath and not to soar your feet. This is due to the fact that with these procedures, blood flow to the limbs is significantly increased, where, with varicose veins, its stagnation is already observed.
Compression therapy
Treatment of varicose veins at home involves the use of special jerseys in the form of golf, stockings and tights, as well as elastic bandages of various lengths. As a rule, doctors recommend wearing them all day and taking them off only before bed.
Thus, it is possible to significantly increase the tone of the veins and improve blood flow in the legs. And this, in turn, helps to eliminate the symptoms of the disease. Also very useful is a foot massage for varicose veins, which must be performed by a specialist.
Drug therapy
Today, drugs for the treatment of this disease are widely represented on the pharmaceutical market. Moreover, along with the tablet forms, a gel, an ointment, and a cream for the legs from varicose veins are used. All of them can significantly reduce the rate of progression of the disease and even prevent the development of some complications.
However, we must not forget that any medicine should be used only as directed by a doctor. After all, almost each of them has quite a few contraindications, and improper use can lead to unforeseen situations.
Most often, for varicose veins of the lower extremities, doctors prescribe drugs of the following groups:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs;
- Venotonics - drugs that increase venous tone and improve venous outflow;
- Preparations aimed at reducing blood viscosity and preventing blood clots.
Surgical Treatment
Surgery is the most radical method used in situations where all alternative methods of struggle do not give any positive result.
The most widespread operation involves making small incisions in the skin and removing the affected veins through them. After the operation, the legs are tightly bandaged. After a few hours, patients can already move independently.
Nowadays, a technique in which pathologically altered veins are removed using a laser is becoming more and more widespread. Such an operation is less traumatic, but after it, relapses of the disease are often observed.
Prevention
Undoubtedly, like most modern diseases, varicose veins are easier to prevent than cure. That is why doctors recommend starting the prevention of this disease from the earliest years. To do this, do the following:
- Play sports actively;
- During standing work, you need to periodically take breaks (walk on your toes, then on your heels);
- After exercise you need to take a cool shower;
- During pregnancy, especially in the later stages, special jerseys should be worn.