Varicose veins are 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 underlie the development of the disease? Awareness of these problems will help avoid the negative consequences of the disease.
General information on varicose veins
The carrier of varicose veins is almost one in five of 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, the 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 vein weaves may appear on the skin. Their color becomes deeper, edema and pain appear. Due to the presence of nodes, blood cannot stably flow through the veins, blood clots occur, which cause exposure of the veins 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 symptoms characteristic of varicose veins appear, such as a noticeable entanglement 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 ailment complain of pain in the veins in the legs. Treatment of varicose veins should be immediate and carried out under the supervision of an experienced physician. When the first symptoms appear, contact a therapist.
causes
The main cause of varicose veins is the interruption 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 influencing the development of varicose veins include:
- Genetic predisposition. If both parents suffered from varicose veins, the probability 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. Standing regularly and for a long time can strain blood vessels. Therefore, varicose veins are often found in professional athletes and in people subjected to hard physical production work.
- Lack of physical activity. With the complete absence of movement in the blood vessels, blood stagnation occurs. Older people, as well as office workers who lead a sedentary or sedentary lifestyle, can suffer from varicose veins.
- Hormonal imbalance. 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 disorders can occur during puberty, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, as well as due to private stressful situations and nervous disorders. During such periods, in the body of women not estrogen prevails, but the hormone of the corpus luteum, which acts on the muscles in a relaxing way.
- Mechanical effect on the veins. The contraction of the 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 in the legs, the cause of painful sensations, as a rule, are varicose veins. You should pay attention to factors that could affect the development of the disease and revise the lifestyle.
Symptoms
Before starting the treatment for varicose veins, it is necessary to make sure that the veins are very sore precisely because of the appearance of such 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 of varicose veins:
- Pain in the legs. The pressure that the blood exerts on the walls of the vessels leads to painful and annoying sensations in the lower limbs. So the vein hurts, you can cope with an unpleasant burning sensation and heaviness in the legs.
- swelling. Swelling on the surface of the legs may appear towards the end of the day when the limbs are experiencing a spike in tension. The swelling affects not only the main part of the legs, but also the feet, ankles, and the knee bending area.
- Convulsions. Convulsive muscle contractions with varicose veins, as a rule, occur at night. They can be accompanied by a nervous tic and convulsive spasms.
- Expansion of the veins. As noted earlier, veins with varicose veins acquire a completely different appearance. They are swollen, sinuous and of an intense blue. The 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 hue 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 body weakness.
If you start the treatment of the disease, it can develop at the next stage. With the rapid development of varicose veins of the lower extremities, you may experience the following symptoms:
- hardening of the skin;
- blackheads;
- loss of moisture in the skin, violation of its nutrition;
- bleeding caused by the breaking of knots.
If any of these symptoms occur, you should visit a doctor and begin treatment immediately.
Methods of treatment
If the veins in the legs hurt precisely because of varicose veins, 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 more effective if the patient accepts a comprehensive rather than a selective approach.
Medicines
Medicines for the treatment of varicose veins can be divided into 4 groups:
- external use;
- for oral administration;
- eliminate symptoms;
- treat the underlying causes;
- operating modes.
In the fight against the disease, doctors prescribe blood-thinning drugs, pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, a complex of vitamins, etc. Oral medications can be administered orally or by injection.
Any drug 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 the treatment of varicose veins should complement a number of measures to eliminate the disease. You can use them at home.
Among the common folk methods are:
- medicinal baths;
- compresses;
- herbal decoctions.
Baths are recommended for effective treatment of varicose veins 3-4 times a week. The water must 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 the dried leaves of the medicinal herbs in the water.
- Take a bath for 20-25 minutes.
Chamomile, St. John's wort, oak bark and plantain leaves are suitable as raw materials for the baths, which can be purchased at any pharmacy in the city for a small cost. It is possible to take such baths for prophylactic purposes, because they help cleanse the vessels of toxic substances, and also stabilize the blood flow.
Tablets and lotions can be prepared using herbal and essential oils from the pharmacy, 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 application area with an elastic bandage. It is necessary to change such tablets 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;
- licorice root;
- angelica root.
You should consult your doctor beforehand 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 instance:
20-25 times:
- Sit in a chair
- Press your legs together
- Tighten your muscles
- Lower your feet to your toes and then onto your heels
20-25 times:
- Lean against the wall with both hands
- Get on tiptoe
- Get on your heels
15-20 times:
- Sit
- Stand on tiptoe while sitting
- Get on your heels
15 times on each leg:
- Sit
- Raise your right leg parallel to the floor for 7 seconds
- Inferior
- Do the same with your 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 a day. This procedure will also increase the elasticity of the skin and nourish it with moisture.
Diet
Diet for varicose veins implies a restriction in the consumption or complete rejection of the following foods:
- broths;
- marinades;
- salty, smoked, sweet, fried in oil;
- coffee and derived drinks;
- alcohol and tobacco products.
It is worth diversifying the diet with foods that have a positive effect on strengthening the walls of blood vessels:
- fresh fruit and vegetables;
- peanuts;
- fish products, seafood;
- greens;
- fermented dairy products.
Operating methods
There is a treatment for varicose veins and for surgery. However, it is used in extremely advanced cases. The interventions consist of ligating the veins of the esophagus and stomach with the imposition of an anastomosis or 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 varicose veins that have already arisen 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.