Varicose veins on the legs are not only a cosmetic problem that worries people because of their attractiveness, but also a dangerous disease that requires adequate treatment and adherence to preventive measures.
The causes of varicose veins are many: from a sedentary lifestyle, physical overload and ending with hormonal disorders, congenital weakness of the walls of blood vessels, pregnancy. What happens during varicose veins? With varicose veins of the lower extremities, they lose normal elasticity and stretch under blood pressure.
The valves in the veins are normally locked and when blood passes through them, they close and allow the blood to flow back. If the valves do not work properly, blood can flow freely downward, leading to blood stasis.
Why do varicose veins appear and what is it? Genetic predisposition and sex are considered to be the main risk factors for the development of the disease. Because of their love of high heels, hormonal changes during pregnancy, and taking contraceptives, women fall victim to varicose veins twice as often as men.
Disease development promotes:
There are 3 stages of symptom progression in the development of varicose veins.
By themselves, varicose veins are not considered a very serious disease, but if it has already developed, it will never go away on its own, and even more, it will progress, leading to all sorts of complications that pose the greatest danger.
The first signs that indicate the beginning of the development of varicose veins:
In the later stages, spider veins, bulging veins and various seals appear on the skin, which indicates congestion in the vessels.
In different stages of varicose veins, the symptoms can be different - from almost asymptomatic small spider veins to severe and painful manifestations.
You can assume the development of the initial phase according to the following symptoms:
When you detect any primary signs, you must start treating varicose veins immediately - the symptoms will not go away on their own.
In order to diagnose varicose veins of the lower extremities and prescribe appropriate treatment, the specialist will offer the patient a comprehensive examination that includes various methods.
Only a highly qualified phlebologist can diagnose varicose veins.
Many women have varicose veins. This is due to the predisposition of women to this disease due to the peculiarities of the female hormonal system. In addition, pregnancy and childbirth in most cases become the reasons for the appearance of varicose veins, because there is an effect of increased stress and increased blood flow in the pelvic organs.
In addition to varicose veins of the lower extremities, women often develop varicose veins in the perineal area, affecting the external genitalia, which is a consequence of congenital or acquired weakness of the vascular wall and valve insufficiency. Exposure to external (long-term static stress, significant physical activity) or internal factors (excess body weight, pelvic diseases in a chronic form) leads to the formation of varicose veins.
Important! The question of the impact of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy remains open.
Wearing each subsequent pregnancy dramatically increases the chances of developing venous insufficiency in women and the formation of varicose veins. This is due to hormonal changes in the female body and a significant increase in the load on the veins.
Pregnancy significantly increases the risk of developing varicose veins of the lower extremities, which is facilitated by the following reasons:
Varicose veins often occur in men in the form of varicocele - varicose veins of sperm. Disease symptoms:
The development of varicocele becomes a cause of male infertility due to impaired blood circulation and related pathological changes in the normal functioning of the testes:
Treatment of varicose veins in men consists of surgery if there are indications: testicular pain, infertility, aesthetic defect in the scrotum, lack of growth of the affected testicle during puberty. However, the disease can be asymptomatic and cannot cause significant discomfort in men.
In adolescents and children, when diagnosing varicocele, surgery is required at any stage of the disease, thus avoiding further development of infertility.
Operations are performed both in the usual open way and endoscopically. It is possible to perform surgical intervention from a mini approach and microsurgical revascularization of the testicles.
Children are also prone to developing varicose veins. For them, this phenomenon is extremely rare and in most cases is a consequence of congenital pathology - angiodysplasia, an anomaly of the peripheral vascular system. The disease mainly affects the lower extremities. As a result, pronounced anatomical functional disorders occur. This leads to irreversible changes and early disability.
Important! The effectiveness of treatment depends on the age of the child. It requires urgent hospitalization at the first signs of varicose veins. In this case, surgery is indicated.
In addition, the development of varicose veins in adolescence has become quite common. This disease mainly affects girls. This can cause:
Among the factors that affect the appearance of varicose veins in children are:
For preventive purposes, in order to avoid the development of varicose veins, it is necessary to monitor the child's diet. The diet should be balanced, it is useful to include foods rich in routine in the food. It is found in large quantities in hazelnuts, wild chestnuts, as well as in berries - pomegranate, sea buckthorn, black currant. Decoctions and juices from these berries can have a preventive and general strengthening effect on the body.
Varicose veins can also occur in the pelvic area. In this form it is found in most cases in women, which is associated with the peculiarities of the supply of the female body with blood. Varicose veins cause a feeling of pain and heaviness in the pelvic area, which can be caused by venous congestion.
The development of varicose veins in the small pelvis occurs for several reasons:
If there are risk factors and symptoms of the disease, it is necessary to undergo an examination. In the early stages, it is possible to detect varicose veins of the small pelvis by ultrasound diagnostics. Preliminary diagnosis is possible with a gynecological examination during the standard procedure.
Treatment of the disease includes taking venotonic medications, wearing special compression underwear, performing therapeutic and prophylactic gymnastics. It is also necessary to exclude risk factors and monitor them regularly by a gynecologist. With the ineffectiveness of conservative treatment methods, surgical intervention is indicated.
For varicose veins in the legs, treatment may not be a medical need unless the symptoms are problematic.
However, some people may want to be treated for varicose veins for cosmetic reasons because they are dissatisfied with their appearance.
Let's look at the main methods to help you solve this problem.
Physical activity - brisk walking, gymnastics, swimming and water exercises (excluding sports exercises with a large load on the legs - tennis, weightlifting, jumping) play an important role in treatment and prevention.
The action of these drugs is aimed at increasing the tone of smooth muscles in the walls of blood vessels, which allows them to maintain elasticity and normalize blood circulation in the affected areas.
Many of the venotonics are complex drugs. The effect achieved by their use extends not only to the veins, but also to all the vessels in our body.
There are a huge number of methods for treating varicose veins on the legs with folk remedies, both for external and internal use. Below are the most common:
In addition to folk remedies, many patients with varicose veins supplement therapy with special gymnastics - Mikulin's exercises allow you to feel a significant improvement.
Varicose veins are mostly a female disease, which is associated with constant wearing of high-heeled shoes, pregnancy, childbirth and a number of other circumstances. But the disease can also affect men, especially if they have a work activity that requires more physical effort. Because varicose veins cause severe wear and tear of the veins, which can cause their atrophy and thrombosis, it is important to diagnose the disease in time and treat it. It can be performed by operative and conservative methods. Treatment can only be chosen by the attending physician.
Apple cider vinegar can relieve pain in varicose veins
There are two ways to use this home remedy. The first involves rubbing a small amount of apple cider vinegar into the affected areas 1-2 times a day. The latter technique is best done before bed so that you can soothe sore limbs and improve sleep. If the varicose veins are localized, you can soak clean gauze with vinegar and apply to the sore spot for 5-10 minutes. Such manipulations are also repeated 1-2 times a day. The duration of treatment is 2-3 weeks. A monthly break between courses is mandatory.
To make an effective home remedy, you need beeswax, propolis and olive oil. These ingredients must be taken in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. After thoroughly mixing the components, they must be stored in the refrigerator. Apply homemade ointment twice a day in the morning and evening, you do not have to rinse the product. Therapy can be carried out for 3-4 weeks, after which a break for the same period is required.
Chestnut solution is an effective remedy for varicose veins
To prepare the solution, collect half a liter jar of chestnuts and peel the fruit. After that, the plant should be poured with 200 ml of alcohol or vodka, the resulting solution is infused only in a dark, cool place for 14 days, for this you can use the lower drawer of the refrigerator. After settling, it is necessary to take three drops of the resulting infusion three times after the main meals. The duration of such treatment is 20-30 days.
The tincture can also be used as a rub, in which case the product cannot be taken internally. Rub your feet before bed, it is recommended to wash them first. Once the product is applied, you should go to bed immediately. Use chestnut tincture this way daily for a month. In both cases, a three-month break is required between treatments.
Potato juice for varicose veins is used in the form of compresses
This medicine can be used for the initial stage of varicose veins, as well as for ulcers in the affected area. To do this, you need to wipe the raw potatoes and then saturate it with a clean gauze bandage. It is applied to the ulcerative lesion for five hours. After that, the dressing should be changed. You can use the potato application 1-2 times a day for two weeks. Breaks between therapies should be at least three to four weeks.
Attention!The true effectiveness of folk remedies against varicose veins is still in doubt. Therefore, it is recommended to use such methods only with the permission of a doctor and in combination with traditional medicines.
In severe cases of exacerbation of varicose veins, conditions may develop that require urgent medical attention. These cases include the following processes:
Attention!Similar conditions can occur not only in women, but also in men and children if they suffer from varicose veins. Delay in this case can endanger the death of the patient if the necessary medical care is not provided.
Varicose veins can lead to serious complications. In the last phase of the development of varicose veins, extreme thinning of the walls of blood vessels is observed, and in this connection, the risk of trophic ulcers increases - open poorly healing wounds on the vessels, caused even with minor trauma.
The result of rupture of varicose veins is the development of thrombophlebitis. During the onset, which occurs by the formation of thrombosis with inflammation of the venous wall, a thrombus forms that closes its lumen.
With the development of acute thrombophlebitis, severe pain appears in the area of thrombosed veins, body temperature rises, accompanied by chills. Superficial vein thrombophlebitis is characterized by painful seals with reddening of the skin along the veins. Deep vein thrombophlebitis is accompanied by edema of the extremities due to a sharp violation of venous outflow.
Preventive measures play an important role in the presence of risk factors for the development of varicose veins. Therefore, you should not neglect to respect them even with an already diagnosed varicose vein. This will save his further development and the need for surgical intervention.
To reduce the risk of developing varicose veins, you must:
Prevention and treatment of varicose veins also consists of performing therapeutic and prophylactic gymnastics exercises aimed at improving blood circulation and resolving signs of blood stagnation.
Important! It is helpful to do these exercises daily.
It is necessary to start classes with prior preparation of the legs: for this you need to lie on your back, placing your feet on the pillow or back of the sofa. Stay in this position for 10-15 minutes.
Then, while lying down, start the exercises:
Varicose veins disease develops for a long time, so when the first signs appear, there is a chance to stop its flow. But the only method you can completely get rid of varicose veins is surgical removal of the veins.