Varicose veins are a disease that causes the veins in the legs to hurt a lot in the first place. 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 to avoid the negative consequences of the disease.
General information about varicose veins
The carrier of varicose veins is almost every fifth person in the total percentage of the world's population. The main threat of the disease is that its symptoms can not be noticed immediately, which is why timely treatment is delayed and the disease leads to complications.
The full medical name of such a disease is varicose veins. From the name it can be understood that in the presence of disease, the peripheral veins located on the limbs of the human body increase in size, thus acquiring a swollen and unhealthy appearance.
With varicose veins on the skin, nodules, cobwebs, clusters and other non-standard intertwining of veins can appear. Their color becomes deeper, swelling and pain appear. Due to the appearance of nodules, the blood cannot flow stably through the veins, blood clots form, 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 out, stretching the walls of the vessels. The first characteristic symptoms of varicose veins appear, such as noticeable intertwining of the veins, dilation of their volume and a deep blue hue.
Most often, varicose veins cover the surface of the legs, so people suffering from such a disease complain of pain in the veins of the legs. Treatment of varicose veins should be immediate and performed under the supervision of an experienced physician. When the first symptoms appear, contact a therapist.
Reasons
The main cause of varicose veins is the disruption of stable blood flow. It is the stagnation of blood in the veins that leads to the pressure exerted on them. Therefore, the main factors influencing the development of varicose veins include:
- Genetic predisposition. If both parents have suffered from varicose veins, then 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. Regular and prolonged standing can strain your blood vessels. Therefore, varicose veins are often found in professional athletes and in people who are subjected to heavy physical work.
- Lack of physical activity. In the complete absence of movement in the blood vessels, blood stasis occurs. Older people, as well as office workers who lead a sedentary or sedentary lifestyle, may 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, females face stagnation of blood in the vessels. Hormonal disorders can occur during puberty, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, as well as due to personal stressful situations and nervous disorders. In such periods, it is not estrogen that predominates in women's bodies, but the corpus luteum hormone, which has a relaxing effect on the muscles.
- Mechanical impact on the veins. The constriction of the peripheral veins located on the surface of the limbs can also affect the occurrence of blood stasis. For example, tight-fitting clothing has such an effect.
- Alcohol abuse. Alcohol contains substances that are toxic and toxic to the body, and also raises blood pressure. Toxins and pressure cause a loss of firmness and tone in the walls of blood vessels.
- obesity. Excessive food intake leads to rapid weight gain, as a result of which the limbs of the body may not be able to withstand the load exerted on them.
When the veins hurt right on the legs, then the cause of painful sensations, as a rule, is varicose veins. You need to pay attention to the factors that can affect the development of the disease and reconsider your lifestyle.
Symptoms
Before starting treatment for varicose veins, you need to make sure that the veins are very painful precisely because of the appearance of such a disease. The disease is not asymptomatic, the main thing is to pay attention to any deviations from the norm in the body. The following manifestations indicate varicose veins:
- Leg pain. The pressure that the blood exerts on the walls of the vessels leads to painful and uncomfortable sensations in the lower extremities. Then the vein hurts, you may face an unpleasant burning sensation and heaviness in the legs.
- Swelling. Swelling on the surface of the feet can occur towards the end of the day when the limbs experience a peak of tension. The swelling affects not only the main part of the legs, but also the feet, ankles and knees.
- Convulsions. Convulsive muscle contractions with varicose veins usually occur at night. They may be accompanied by nervous tics and convulsive twitching.
- Varicose veins. As noted earlier, varicose veins take on a completely different appearance. They are swollen, sinuous and deep blue. The large subcutaneous veins indicate the presence of thrombosis.
- Skin discoloration. Due to the fact that during the disease there is stagnation of blood in the vessels, the skin under the peripheral veins may change its shade to darker and dull.
- Trophic ulcers. Due to the disruption of the blood supply to the skin, defects appear that do not heal for a long time.
The main symptoms of varicose veins are fever and general weakness of the body.
If you start treatment for the disease, it can develop in the next stage. With the rapid development of varicose veins of the lower extremities, you may experience the following symptoms:
- hardening of the skin;
- dark spots;
- loss of moisture in the skin, disruption of its nutrition;
- bleeding caused by rupture of nodes.
If any of these symptoms occur, you should see a doctor immediately and start treatment.
Methods of treatment
If the veins in the legs hurt precisely because of varicose veins, then the specialist will prescribe a whole set of measures to eliminate the disease. The most common treatments for varicose veins include:
- medical preparations;
- folk remedies;
- Gymnastics;
- massage;
- compresses and dressings on the affected areas;
- special diet.
Treatment will be most effective if the patient agrees with a holistic 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 the symptoms;
- to treat the root causes;
- operational methods.
In the fight against the disease, doctors prescribe drugs that thin the blood, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, a complex of vitamins and more. Oral medications can be administered orally or by injection.
Each drug should be used only under the supervision of the attending physician, following the instructions for use and the duration of treatment.
Folk remedies
Folk remedies for varicose veins should complement a set of measures to eliminate the disease. You can use them at home.
Among the common folk methods are:
- healing 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 tub with warm water.
- Dissolve dried leaves of medicinal herbs in water.
- Take a bath for 20-25 minutes.
As a raw material for baths are suitable chamomile, St. John's wort, oak bark and plantain leaves, which can be purchased at any pharmacy in the city at a small price. It is possible to take such baths for prophylactic purposes, as they help to clean the vessels of toxic substances and also stabilize blood flow.
Compresses and lotions can be made with the help of pharmacy vegetable and essential oils, aloe juice or honey. To do this, you need to apply one of the listed components on the areas affected by varicose veins, and then wrap the application area with an elastic bandage. You should 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. Raw materials from the following herbs are suitable for the preparation of broths:
- hawthorn;
- camomile;
- hop cones;
- plantain;
- St. John's Wort;
- licorice root;
- angelica root.
You should consult your doctor in advance about alternative methods. Some components may not be used due to allergic reactions.
Gymnastics
One of the reasons for the development of varicose veins is inaction, which causes blood stasis in the vessels. That is why people who are forced to lead a computer lifestyle should regularly exercise at home. For example:
20-25 times:
- Sit in a chair
- Press your feet together
- Tighten your muscles
- Lower your feet to the toes and then to the heels
20-25 times:
- Lean against the wall with both hands
- Get on your toes
- 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
- Short
- Do the same with the left foot.
Massage
The massage for varicose veins can be done independently at home. You will need a special nourishing cream or oil. Sea buckthorn is ideal. It should be rubbed into the problem areas of the feet 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
The diet for varicose veins implies restriction of consumption or complete rejection of the following foods:
- broths;
- marinades;
- salty, smoked, sweet, oil-fried food;
- coffee and derived beverages;
- alcoholic and tobacco products.
It is worth to diversify the diet with foods that have a positive effect on strengthening the walls of blood vessels:
- fresh fruits and vegetables;
- nuts;
- fish products; Seafood;
- green;
- fermented dairy products.
Operational methods
There is treatment for varicose veins and surgery. However, it is used in extremely advanced cases. The operations consist of ligating the veins of the esophagus and stomach by applying an anastomosis or by placing a stent in the canal between the hepatic and portal veins.
To avoid varicose veins, it is worth resting your legs and doing preventive home treatments. Effective treatment of already existing varicose veins consists of timely and comprehensive treatment under the guidance of a specialist.
Which doctor to go to
The treatment is performed by a phlebologist, vascular surgeon.