Varicose veins (or varicose veins) in the legs are a fairly common disease. Most women between the ages of 30 and 60 fall prey to it, especially if they suffer from diabetes mellitus or are overweight and have problems with body posture. In addition, the people are sick with varicose veins, which their job requires them to be in a standing position or sitting for a long time. Unfortunately, the number of cases increases every year. That is why it is important to know not only how to cure varicose veins in the legs, but also how to avoid them.
Reason
Treatment of varicose veins, first of all, is to eliminate the cause of its occurrence immediately. Here are the most common in everyday life:
- In an upright position or sitting for a long time;
- Overweight (obesity);
- Increased pressure on the veins in the lower legs due to high load with constipation, weight lifting and pregnancy;
- Absence of congenital or post-traumatic venous valves in the lower extremity ducts.
It is possible to cure varicose veins in the legs only after getting rid of all of the above factors. Otherwise, recurrent disease is inevitable.
Symptoms
One of the most important signs of varicose veins is the appearance of swelling and nodular swelling along the veins in the lower leg. Often this is accompanied by pain and heaviness in the legs, an unpleasant burning sensation can be added. In severe cases, leg cramps and episodic edema may occur, which, as a rule, appear in the evening. A special feature of varicose veins is the gradual thickening and darkening of the skin in the lower part of the leg.
If left untreated, the walls of the affected ducts become inflamed and clogged with many blood clots. Over time, boils can appear on the skin. In a large number of cases, the development of such an event leads to a rather horrible disease, for example, thrombophlebitis or thrombosis.
Under what circumstances should you see a doctor?
Varicose veins develop gradually, but sometimes they develop quickly - in such cases, you do not hesitate to see a doctor. For acute illness, the following symptoms are characteristic:
- A sharp pain that reaches a level so strong that one cannot move freely. This is accompanied by a feeling of heat and hardening of the skin on the feet;
- Shortness of breath, feeling weak and short of breath;
- Bleeding is localized in the area near the affected venous vessel or from themselves.
Diagnostics
When the first signs of varicose veins appear, you should seek help from your doctor. As a rule, after performing a standard examination (examination, anamnesis, OAC, OAM), he refers the patient to a specialist who treats vascular disease (phlebologist) or immediately to a vascular surgeon.
In addition to the basic diagnostic measures, this action can be given:
- Vein ultrasound (duplex scan);
- Contrast venography.
Treatment
Today there is no cure for varicose veins, which will give 100% results. Treatment should be carried out comprehensively using surgical and therapeutic techniques.
Conservative treatment
The fight against varicose veins in the legs with the help of conservative methods is only possible if new symptoms begin to appear and there is no need to discuss possible complications. The main components of this treatment are:
- Diet;
- A special set of exercises;
- Compression therapy;
- Drug therapy.
Diet
As mentioned earlier, varicose veins affect people who are overweight. Accordingly, one of the conditions for successful treatment, no doubt, is adherence to a proper diet, which aims to shed extra pounds. There are many variations of how to structure your daily diet, but none of these should be followed without first consulting your dietitian.
As a rule, such a diet involves avoiding sweets, as well as foods that contain large amounts of vegetable fiber.
Physical fitness
An excellent cure for varicose veins in the legs is physiotherapy training. There are a number of special exercises that can be done to slow the progression of the disease, and sometimes get rid of it completely. Also, do not forget about walking outside (morning and evening) and swimming.
Important!If you have varicose veins, you should refrain from going to the sauna, taking a bath, do not take too hot a bath and do not inflate your legs. This is due to the fact that with this procedure, blood flow to the tip of the foot increases significantly, where, with varicose veins, its stagnation is already observed.
Compression therapy
Treatment of varicose veins at home implies the use of special knitwear in the form of golf, stockings and tights, as well as elastic bandages of various lengths. As a rule, doctors recommend wearing it throughout the day and taking it off before bed.
Therefore, it is possible to increase the tone of the veins and increase blood flow in the legs significantly. And this in turn helps to get rid of the symptoms of the disease. It is also very useful for massaging the feet for varicose veins, which must be done by a specialist.
Drug therapy
Today, medicines for the treatment of this disease are widely seen in the pharmaceutical market. Moreover, along with tablets, gels, and ointments, and foot creams for varicose veins are used. All of these can significantly reduce the rate of development of the disease and even prevent the occurrence of some complications.
However, we must not forget that any medicine can only be used as directed by a doctor. However, almost each has some contraindications, and improper use can lead to unforeseen circumstances.
Often, for varicose veins in the lower leg, doctors prescribe medications from the following groups:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs;
- Venotonic - a drug that improves venous tone and increases 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 yield positive results.
The most common operation involves making small incisions in the skin and removing the affected veins. After surgery, the legs are tightly wrapped. After a few hours, the patient can move freely.
Currently, techniques in which pathologically altered veins are removed using lasers are becoming more widespread. Such operations are less traumatic, but after recurrence the disease is often observed.
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 earliest years. To do this, do the following:
- Active in sports;
- While standing, you should rest periodically (walk on toes, then on heels);
- After exercising, you should take a cold shower;
- During pregnancy, especially at the next stage, special jerseys should be worn.