Varicose veins (or varicose veins) on the legs are a fairly common condition. Most often, women between the ages of 30 and 60 become victims, especially if they have diabetes or are overweight and have problems with posture. In addition, these people suffer from varicose veins, the work of which forces them to stand or sit for a long time. Unfortunately, the number of cases is increasing every year. That is why it is important to know how to not only cure varicose veins on the legs, but also how to avoid them.
reasons
Treatment for varicose veins should be primarily to eliminate the immediate cause of their appearance. The following are the ones that are most common in everyday life:
- To be 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, weight lifting and pregnancy;
- Congenital or post-traumatic absence of venous valves in the vessels of the lower extremities.
Varicose veins on the legs can only be cured after all of the above factors have been eliminated. Otherwise, relapses of the disease cannot be avoided.
Symptoms
One of the main signs of varicose veins is the appearance of lumps 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 can be added. In severe cases, episodic leg cramps and edema can occur, which usually appear in the late afternoon. A distinctive 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 can develop on the skin. 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 consult a doctor?
Varicose veins develop gradually, but sometimes they progress pretty quickly - in such cases you can not hesitate to see a doctor. The following symptoms are characteristic of the acute course of the disease:
- Sharp pain that reaches such an 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, weakness and shortness of breath;
- Bleeding localized in the immediate vicinity of the affected venous vessels or by itself.
Diagnosis
When the first signs of varicose veins appear, you should ask your doctor for help. As a rule, he will refer such patients to a specialist in vascular diseases (phlebologist) or immediately to a vascular surgeon after performing standard examinations (examination, anamnesis, OAC, OAM).
In addition to basic diagnostic measures, they can be assigned:
- Vein ultrasound (duplex scanning);
- contrast venography.
Treatment
Today there is no remedy for varicose veins that would lead to 100%. Treatment should be carried out 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 already mentioned, varicose veins mainly affect people who are overweight. In this regard, undoubtedly, one of the conditions for successful treatment is adherence to the correct diet aimed at destroying extra pounds. There are many variations in preparing your daily diet, but none of them should be followed without first consulting a nutritionist.
Such diets usually avoid sweets and foods that contain a large amount of vegetable fiber.
Physical fitness
An excellent cure for varicose veins on the legs is physical therapy exercises. There are a number of special exercises that can be done to significantly slow the progression of the disease, and sometimes to get rid of it completely. Also, do not forget about outdoor walks (morning and evening) and swimming.
Important!If you have varicose veins, you should not go to the sauna or bath, do not take a bath that is too hot and do not pull your feet up. This is due to the fact that with these procedures, blood flow to the extremities is significantly increased, where stagnation is already observed in varicose veins.
Compression therapy
When treating varicose veins at home, special jerseys in the form of golf, stockings and tights, as well as elastic bandages of different lengths are used. Doctors usually recommend wearing them all day and only taking them off before bed.
Thus, it is possible to significantly increase the tone of the veins and improve the blood circulation in the legs. And this, in turn, will help get rid of the symptoms of the disease. Also very useful foot massage for varicose veins, which must be done by a specialist.
drug therapy
Today, drugs to treat this disease are widely available in the pharmaceutical market. In addition, gel and ointment and foot cream for varicose veins are used together with the tablet forms. All of them can significantly reduce the progression of the disease, and even prevent the development of some complications.
However, we must not forget that medicinal products may only be used as directed by a doctor. After all, almost all of them have some contraindications, and improper use can lead to unforeseen situations.
Most often, doctors prescribe drugs from the following groups for varicose veins of the lower extremities:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs;
- Venotonics - drugs that help increase the tone of the veins and improve venous outflow;
- Preparations for reducing blood viscosity and preventing blood clots.
Surgical treatment
Surgery is the most radical method in situations where all alternative methods of struggle do not give a positive result.
The most common surgery is to make small incisions in the skin and remove the affected veins through them. After the operation, the legs are firmly connected. After just a few hours, the patients can move independently.
Nowadays, a technique in which pathologically altered veins are removed with 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 cure. For this reason, doctors recommend starting prevention of this disease from the earliest years. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Be active in sports;
- During work while standing, you need to take regular breaks (walking on your toes and then on your heels).
- You need to take a cool shower after exercising.
- Special jerseys should be worn during pregnancy, especially in the later stages.