Varicose veins is a disease from which, first of all, the veins in the legs are very sore. What to do when symptoms appear, how to treat varicose veins, and what factors are the basis for the development of the disease? Awareness of these issues will help avoid the negative consequences of the disease.
General information about varicose veins
The carrier of varicose veins is almost every fifth person from the total percentage of the world population. The main threat of the disease is that its symptoms cannot be noticed immediately, which is why timely treatment is delayed, and the disease leads to complications.
The full medical name for such a disease is varicose veins. From the name it can be understood that in the presence of a disease, peripheral veins located on the limbs of the human body increase in size, thereby acquiring a swollen and unhealthy appearance.
With varicose veins, knots, cobwebs, clusters and other non-standard interweaving of veins can appear on the skin. Their color becomes deeper, edema and pain appear. Due to the occurrence of nodes, blood cannot flow stably through the veins, blood clots occur, which causes the veins to be exposed to high pressure.
Achieving a certain pressure indicator leads to the fact that during thrombosis, the blood in the veins is pushed outward, stretching the walls of the vessels. The first characteristic symptoms of varicose veins appear, such as noticeable interlacing of the veins, an expansion of their volume and a deep blue tint.
Most often, varicose veins cover the surface of the legs, so people suffering from such an ailment complain of pain in the veins in their legs. Treatment of varicose veins should be immediate, and carried out under the supervision of an experienced doctor. When the first symptoms appear, contact a therapist.
Causes
The main cause of varicose veins is disruption of stable blood flow. It is the stagnation of blood in the veins that leads to the pressure exerted on them. Therefore, the primary factors affecting the development of varicose veins include:
- Genetic predisposition. If both parents suffered from varicose veins, then the likelihood of developing the disease in their child can reach 70%. The first symptoms of the disease appear at an early age, and the development of the disease can be avoided with health care.
- Increased physical activity. Regular and prolonged standing on your feet can strain your blood vessels. Therefore, varicose veins are often found in professional athletes and in people who are subject to hard physical production work.
- Lack of physical activity. With the complete absence of movement in the blood vessels, blood stagnation occurs. Elderly people, as well as office workers who lead a sedentary or sedentary lifestyle, may suffer from varicose veins.
- Hormonal disbalance. Functional disorders of the hormonal or endocrine system of the human body can lead to various consequences. For example, female representatives are faced with stagnation of blood in the vessels. Hormonal disruptions can occur during puberty, pregnancy, lactation, menopause, as well as due to private stressful situations and nervous disorders. During such periods, not estrogen prevails in the body of women, but the hormone of the corpus luteum, which acts on the muscles in a relaxing way.
- Mechanical effect on the veins. Contraction of peripheral veins located on the surface of the extremities can also affect the appearance of blood congestion. For example, tight fitting clothing has such an effect.
- Alcohol abuse. Alcohol contains substances that are toxic and poisonous to the body, and also increases blood pressure. Toxins and pressure cause blood vessel walls to lose firmness and tone.
- Obesity. Excessive food intake leads to rapid weight gain, as a result of which the limbs of the body may not tolerate the load exerted on them.
When the veins hurt exactly on the legs, then the cause of painful sensations, as a rule, is varicose veins. You should pay attention to the factors that could affect the development of the disease, and revise the lifestyle.
Symptoms
Before starting treatment for varicose veins, you need to make sure that the veins are very sore precisely because of the appearance of such an ailment. The disease is not asymptomatic, the main thing is to pay attention to any deviations from the norm in the work of the body. The following manifestations speak about varicose veins:
- Pain in the legs. The pressure that blood exerts on the walls of the vessels leads to painful and uncomfortable sensations in the lower extremities. Then the vein hurts, you can face an unpleasant burning sensation and heaviness in the legs.
- Puffiness. Swelling on the surface of the legs may appear towards the end of the day, when the limbs are experiencing a peak of tension. Swelling affects not only the main part of the legs, but also the feet, ankles and the knee bend area.
- Convulsions. Convulsive muscle contractions with varicose veins, as a rule, occur at night. They can be accompanied by a nervous tic and convulsive twitching.
- Expansion of the veins. As noted earlier, veins with varicose veins acquire a completely different appearance. They are swollen, sinuous and deep blue. Large saphenous veins indicate the presence of thrombosis.
- Skin discoloration. Due to the fact that during the disease stagnation of blood appears in the vessels, the skin under the peripheral veins can change its shade to a darker and dull one.
- Trophic ulcers. Due to a violation of the blood supply to the skin, defects appear that do not heal for a long time.
The most primary symptoms of varicose veins are fever and general weakness of the body.
If you start the treatment of the disease, then it can develop into the next stage. With the rapid development of varicose veins of the lower extremities, you may encounter the following symptoms:
- hardening of the skin;
- dark spots;
- loss of moisture in the skin, violation of its nutrition;
- bleeding caused by rupture of nodes.
If one of these symptoms occurs, you should visit a doctor and start treatment immediately.
Treatment methods
If the veins on the legs hurt precisely because of varicose veins, then the specialist will prescribe a whole range of measures to eliminate the disease. The most common treatments for varicose veins include:
- medical preparations;
- folk remedies;
- gymnastics;
- massage;
- compresses and bandaged affected areas;
- special diet.
Treatment will be most effective if the patient agrees to a comprehensive rather than selective approach.
Medicines
Medicines for the treatment of varicose veins can be divided into 4 groups:
- external use;
- for oral administration;
- to eliminate symptoms;
- to treat underlying causes;
- operating methods.
In the fight against the disease, doctors prescribe drugs that thin the blood, pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, a complex of vitamins, etc. Oral medications can be administered orally or by injection.
Any medication should be used only under the supervision of the attending physician, observing the instructions for use and the duration of the course of treatment.
Folk remedies
Folk remedies for treating varicose veins should complement a set of measures to eliminate the disease. You can use them at home.
Among the common folk methods are:
- medicinal baths;
- compresses;
- decoctions of herbs.
Baths for effective treatment of varicose veins are recommended 3-4 times a week. The water should be diluted with special sea salt for baths or special herbs prepared in advance. For example, you can use the following recipe:
- Fill the bathtub with warm water.
- Dissolve dry leaves of medicinal herbs in water.
- Take a bath for 20-25 minutes.
Chamomile, St. John's wort, oak bark and plantain leaves, which can be purchased at any pharmacy in the city for a small cost, are suitable as raw materials for baths. It is possible to take such baths for prophylactic purposes, because they help to cleanse the vessels of toxic substances, and also stabilize the blood flow.
Compresses and lotions can be made using pharmacy vegetable and essential oils, aloe juice or honey. To do this, you need to apply one of the listed components to the areas affected by varicose veins, and then wrap the area of application with an elastic bandage. You need to change such compresses twice a day every 2-3 hours.
You can prevent the development of the disease in folk ways by consuming decoctions of medicinal herbs inside. For the preparation of broths, raw materials of the following herbs are suitable:
- hawthorn;
- chamomile;
- hop cones;
- plantain;
- St. John's wort;
- liquorice root;
- angelica root.
You should consult in advance with your doctor about alternative methods. It is possible that some components cannot be used due to the presence of allergic reactions.
Gymnastics
One of the reasons for the development of varicose veins is inactivity, which causes stagnation of blood in the vessels. Therefore, people who are forced to lead a computer lifestyle should regularly conduct gymnastic exercises at home. For example:
20-25 times:
- Sit on a chair
- Press your legs together
- Tighten your muscles
- Lower your feet to your toes and then to your heels
20-25 times:
- Lean against the wall with both hands
- Climb on tiptoe
- Get down on your heels
15-20 times:
- Sit down
- Stand on tiptoe while sitting
- Get down on your heels
15 times on each leg:
- Sit down
- Raise your right leg parallel to the floor for 7 seconds
- Lower
- Do the same with the left leg.
Massage
Massage for varicose veins can be done independently at home. You will need a special nourishing cream or oil. Sea buckthorn is perfect. It should be rubbed into the problem areas of the legs in a circular motion for five minutes daily. This procedure will also increase the elasticity of the skin and nourish it with moisture.
Diet
The diet for varicose veins implies a restriction in consumption or a complete rejection of the following foods:
- broths;
- marinades;
- salty, smoked, sweet, oil-fried food;
- coffee and derivative drinks;
- alcoholic and tobacco products.
It is worth diversifying the diet with foods that have a positive effect on strengthening the walls of blood vessels:
- fresh fruits and vegetables;
- nuts;
- fish products; seafood;
- greens;
- fermented milk products.
Operational Methods
There is a treatment for varicose veins and by surgical intervention. However, it is used in extremely advanced cases. The operations consist in ligating the veins of the esophagus and stomach with the imposition of an anastomosis or in placing a stent in the duct between the hepatic and portal veins.
To avoid varicose veins, it is worth resting your legs and doing preventive home procedures. Effective treatment of already arisen varicose veins consists in timely and complex treatment under the guidance of a specialist.
Which doctor to contact
The treatment is carried out by a phlebologist, a vascular surgeon.