Varicose veins (or varicose veins) on the legs are quite common. Mostly women aged 30 to 60 become victims, especially if they suffer from diabetes mellitus or are overweight and have posture problems. In addition, those people are sick with varicose veins, the work of which forces them to stand for a long time in a standing or sitting position. 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. The following are the most common ones in everyday life:
- Being in a standing or sitting position for a long time;
- Overweight (obesity);
- Increased pressure in the veins of the lower extremities due to high loads with constipation, weight lifting and pregnancy;
- Congenital or post-traumatic absence of venous valves in the vessels of the lower limbs.
It is possible to cure varicose veins on the legs only after eliminating 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 protruding and nodular swellings along the veins of the lower limbs. Often this is accompanied by severe pain and heaviness in the legs, an unpleasant burning sensation can be added. In severe cases, episodic leg cramps and edema may occur, which, as a rule, appear in the late afternoon. A feature of varicose veins is the gradual thickening and darkening of the skin in the lower leg.
If left untreated, the walls of the affected vessels become inflamed and blocked with more blood clots. Over time, skin ulcers can develop. In the vast 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 they progress 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 an intensity that a person cannot move independently. This is accompanied by a feeling of warmth and hardening of the skin on the legs;
- Shortness of breath, feeling of weakness and shortness of breath;
- Localized bleeding in the immediate vicinity of the affected venous vessels or by oneself.
Diagnostics
When the first signs of varicose veins appear, you should seek help from your doctor. As a rule, after performing standard examinations (examination, history, OAC, OAM), refer such patients to a specialist dealing with vascular diseases (phlebologist) or immediately to a vascular surgeon.
In addition to the basic diagnostic measures, the following can be assigned:
- Venous ultrasound (duplex scan);
- Contrast venography.
Treatment
Today there is no remedy for varicose veins, which would give a 100% result. Treatment must be performed comprehensively 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 when 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 series of special exercises;
- Compression therapy;
- Drug therapy.
Diet
As mentioned above, varicose veins mainly affect overweight people. In this regard, one of the conditions for the success of the treatment, undoubtedly, is the observance of a correct diet, aimed at shedding extra pounds. There are many variations on how to prepare your daily diet, but none of them should be followed without consulting a dietician first.
As a rule, such diets involve avoiding sweets, as well as foods that contain a large amount of plant fiber.
Physical form
An excellent cure for varicose veins on the legs are physiotherapy exercises. There are a number of special exercises that can be performed to significantly slow down the progression of the disease and sometimes eliminate it completely. Also, don't forget the outdoor walks (morning and evening) and swimming.
Important!With varicose veins, you should avoid going to the sauna, taking a bath, not taking too hot a bath and not lifting your feet. This is due to the fact that with these procedures the blood flow to the extremities 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 shirts 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 only taking them off before going to 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. Foot massage for varicose veins, which must be performed by a specialist, is also very useful.
Drug therapy
Today, drugs for the treatment of this disease are widely represented in the pharmaceutical market. Also, along with the tablet forms, gels and ointments and foot cream for varicose veins are used. All of them can significantly reduce the rate of disease progression and even prevent the development of some complications.
However, we must not forget that any medicine should only be used as directed by a doctor. In fact, almost each of them has some contraindications, and improper use can lead to unforeseen situations.
Very often, for varicose veins of the lower limbs, doctors prescribe drugs from the following groups:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs;
- Venotonics - drugs that help increase the tone of the veins and improve venous outflow;
- Preparations aimed at reducing blood viscosity and preventing the formation of blood clots.
Surgical treatment
Surgery is the most radical method used in situations where all alternative methods of struggle do not give any positive results.
The most common operation is to make small incisions in the skin and remove the affected veins through them. After the operation, the legs are well bandaged. After a few hours, patients can already move independently.
Nowadays, a technique where pathologically altered veins are removed using a laser is becoming more and more popular. Such an operation is less traumatic, but relapses of the disease are often observed after it.
Prevention
Undoubtedly, like most modern diseases, varicose veins are easier to prevent than to cure. That is why doctors recommend starting the prevention of this disease from the very first years. To do this, do the following:
- Be active in sports;
- During standing work, it is necessary to periodically take breaks (walking on tiptoes, then on heels);
- After exercise, you need to take a cool shower;
- During pregnancy, especially in the later stages, special shirts should be worn.