Varicose veins in the legs are a chronic disease. Causes of varicose veins can be hereditary factors, a passive lifestyle, large loads on the legs and blood vessels. Varicose veins are common during pregnancy.
In pregnant women, the load on the legs increases, edema often appears and against this background blood clots and other problems with blood vessels may appear, leading to varicose veins.
At the first symptoms of varicose veins (swollen veins, venous network in the legs, severe swelling of the legs, pain in the legs and feet), you should consult a phlebologist. A thorough examination will be required to establish the diagnosis and extent of varicose veins. After obtaining the necessary data, the doctor will tell you how to treat varicose veins in the legs, prescribe the necessary medication and procedures.
Which specialist treats varicose veins?
When varicose veins appear, many patients do not know which doctor treats varicose veins? All vascular diseases are treated by a phlebologist. Phlebologist is a narrow medical specialization that includes the diagnosis and treatment of pathological venous diseases.
Of course, a phlebologist should not be visited when varicose veins are at an advanced stage. It is advisable to have a personal phlebologist who can see the development of venous diseases at an early stage and prescribe treatment.
If you have varicose veins, it is advisable to contact a vein specialist - phlebologist
Methods of treating varicose veins
Varicose veins are one of the most unpleasant and dangerous diseases, for which various means are used to cure effectively. How to treat varicose veins? Varicose veins can be treated by choosing one of several methods.
The choice of treatment for varicose veins depends on the degree of complexity of the disease and the individual characteristics of the human body. The procedure for treating varicose veins should be discussed with your doctor. Among the ways to fight leg vein diseases, the following effective methods can be distinguished:
Scleotherapy
The essence of this technique is to inject a special substance (sclerosing) into diseased veins using a thin needle.
Sclerosant, entering the vein, leads to adhesion of its walls and removal of the affected vessel from the general network of blood vessels in the foot.
Scleotherapy helps remove small varicose stars after 3-5 weeks, and after three months, varicose nodes and large lumps will disappear.
Surgical removal of veins (Phlebectomy)This technique is used for severe neglect of varicose veins. Surgical operation is performed when varicose veins lead to the appearance of large joints and seals in the vessels, provoking the appearance of large blood clots. An important disadvantage of surgical intervention for varicose veins are the marks and scars on the skin.
Laser therapy for varicose veins is used as a convenient and absolutely painless method to treat varicose veins. The laser acts on the affected vessel according to the same principle as the sclerotherapy procedure. The walls of blood vessels under the influence of laser beams are fused, but it will take a long time to effectively treat varicose veins. A positive aspect of laser therapy for varicose veins is the absence of scars on the skin.
Hirudotherapy or treatment of varicose veins with caterpillars. Clothes for varicose veins are often used by fans of natural remedies. This does not mean that the hirudotherapy technique is effective, there are many disadvantages. To get a noticeable effect from hirudotherapy, you have to go through several courses, each of which has 8 sessions. Treatment of varicose veins with caterpillars can be effective only in the initial stage of vascular disease.
Prevention of varicose veins
Varicose veins begin to appear in the form of severe or episodic pain in the legs, the appearance of a vascular network on the skin of the feet, and prominent veins with a blue tinge.It is advisable to warn of varicose veins in advance, rather than looking for different methods of treating it. Here are some precautions you can take to prevent the development of varicose veins.
- Do not wear tight or uncomfortable shoes with high heels. From uncomfortable shoes to the vessels of the feet, the pressure increases, which leads to the formation of blood clots and the development of varicose veins.
- Regular exercise can help you avoid varicose veins. It is advisable to take time every day for walking, running, dancing, swimming. Varicose veins most often develop in retailers, hairdressers, stewardesses. Why is this trend observed? The feet of people with such professions during the day receive a large static load as a result of prolonged standing. As a result, the development of varicose veins.
- Body weight should be constantly monitored, as it is the extra pounds that increase the load on the vessels of the legs and increase blood pressure on the walls.
- It is advisable to regularly arrange barefoot walks on various rough surfaces (pebbles, sand, dry grass). In this way, effective toning of the veins in the legs is achieved, and at the same time, the leg muscles relax and rest well.
- Do not often consume salty and spicy foods, alcoholic beverages. All spicy and salty foods contribute to the formation of blood clots and the development of varicose veins. You can dilute thick blood with plain water or unsalted tomato juice.
- Varicose veins often provoke the development of such an unpleasant phenomenon as cellulite. How to treat cellulite with varicose veins? For a patient with varicose veins, a number of procedures are contraindicated to effectively fight cellulite. Therefore, the doctor should choose an individual treatment plan for varicose veins, which will show the method of treatment of the resulting cellulite. With varicose veins, it is permissible to use a limited number of procedures aimed at eliminating the signs of cellulite. These treatments include blue clay foot wraps, contrast water treatments, swimming and brisk walking. With varicose veins, exposure to high temperatures in the affected areas of the feet is extremely undesirable. For this reason, it is necessary to abandon thermal wrappers in the fight against cellulite. With varicose veins, you can not visit the bath and sauna, go to the solarium, massage the affected areas of the feet with swollen veins. With varicose veins, energy loads are contraindicated. Therefore, people suffering from varicose veins will not be able to get rid of cellulite through a heavy strain.
The first symptoms of early varicose veins should already be a signal to visit a medical specialist. The main signs of varicose vein development are:
- Heavy weight and fatigue in the legs, swelling of the legs.
- Night cramps in calf muscles.
- Burning attacks and pain in the legs.
- Venous distension
- The appearance of small spider veins or large swollen vessels on the surface of the skin.
Varicose veins can occur not only in the lower extremities. Also known are varicose veins of the pelvis, varicose veins of the uterus, varicose veins of the esophagus or genitals. With the development of one of these types of varicose veins, the following symptoms appear:
- Severe lower abdominal pain
- Veins of Excavated Letters
- Unpleasant discharge from the genitals
- Pain during intercourse
- Pain in the sacrum and lower back that increases with the onset of menstruation
- Disruptions in the menstrual cycle, prolonged menstruation with the discharge of spots.
The symptoms listed are not specific, they may signal other diseases. In any case, if you suspect varicose veins, it is better to visit a competent specialist who will make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the necessary procedures.
Diagnosis of varicose veins
Diagnostic measures to determine the degree of varicose veins begin to be performed by the doctor from the moment the patient applies. If the initial stage of varicose veins is diagnosed, then treatment will be conservative. This is why a visit to the doctor should not be postponed if you suspect varicose veins.
For an accurate diagnosis of varicose veins and the degree of its complication, a comprehensive examination is performed using laboratory and hardware techniques. The patient must pass the necessary tests to perform clinical and laboratory research, as well as undergo a number of procedures.
In particular, it is necessary to do a triplex ultrasound, dopplerography ultrasound of blood vessels, to make a minimally invasive assessment of venous blood flow. For an accurate diagnosis, you will need to do an x-ray of the veins (a special procedure in which a radiopaque contrast agent is injected into the diseased vein), to examine the pressure in the veins over time.
Based on the results obtained, the phlebologist makes a comprehensive conclusion regarding the presence of varicose veins of one degree or another.
Traditional medicine for varicose veins
Varicose veins are a common disease that, in most cases, cannot be treated with conventional medicine. Varicose veins often occur in pregnant women who should not take strong medications.This is why treating varicose veins at home, using proven traditional medicines, is increasingly practiced.
- With varicose veins, a hops cone decoction helps, which you should drink three times a day, a glass. Chopped hop cones (1 tablespoon) should be poured with boiling water and insist a little.
- Apple cider vinegar is used both externally and internally to treat varicose veins. Drink apple cider vinegar diluted with water, one tablespoon a day. The areas of the feet affected by varicose veins are rubbed with pure apple cider vinegar, if there are no lesions and ulcers on the skin.
- Before you go to bed, grated raw potatoes or finely chopped green tomatoes can be applied to swollen veins and lumps.
- For the treatment of varicose veins with folk remedies, you can prepare a special oil from the collection of herbs. You should get a teaspoon of dried chamomile herbs, St. John's wort, chicory, mushrooms and meadow dessert. The whole herbal collection is poured with water in an amount of 1 ml, and put on fire until it boils. After cooking, you need to add fat badger to the composition. For a week, the oil should be applied to the areas of the feet with swollen veins, wrapping the feet with plastic wrap.
Treatment with folk remedies does not always give a lasting effect on varicose veins, but effectively tones the veins and vessels of the legs. Alternative treatment of varicose veins can be used in the absence of medical treatment options.
it is possible to reduce the risk of developing varicose veins by observing the right diet and engaging in regular physical activity. Varicose veins can be completely cured by surgery, which is performed after a thorough examination by a phlebologist.