Rainy autumn is coming - a time when we move less and sit a lot, wear heavy shoes all day, take hot baths more often and longer. All this does not have the best effect on our blood vessels and especially on varicose veins.
Use a slowdown in life to your advantage: take care of the health of your feet.
What are varicose veins?
It seems that everything is extremely clear: these are enlarged and visible veins on the legs.
However, such changes are not only a cosmetic defect, but a manifestation of insidious varicose veins.
What is happening?
The superficial veins of the lower extremities expand, leading to the creation of conditions for slowing blood circulation and the formation of thrombi (blood clots) in the lumen of blood vessels.
The Risks
Due to the lack of food and blood supply, trophic ulcers appear - long-term non-healing defects of the skin on the legs.
The resulting blood clots can break off and move with the blood throughout the body. What does this mean? Development of thromboembolism: the lumen of the vessel is suddenly blocked and an obstacle to blood flow is created. Various organs are affected: an acute cerebrovascular accident (stroke) or infarction (myocardium, kidney, lung) may occur. The complication is life-threatening and often leads to disability.
What else is known about varicose veins?
The older a person grows, the higher the risk of developing varicose veins. The disease has neither gender nor age. The disease can also occur in children, although it is quite rare. Women get sick more often than men.
A brief excursion into anatomy
Our blood moves through the systemic and pulmonary circulation.
Normal
The heart beats rhythmically and pushes blood through the vessels. Thanks to the force of gravity from top to bottom, blood moves easily through the arteries.
Having reached the legs, the blood returns and begins to move again through the veins - from the legs to the heart. Without additional anatomical structures, this process is difficult, because the blood will simply flow backwards. It is to ensure the normal flow of blood that nature has provided valves in the veins that allow blood to flow in only one direction - up.
The heart, vein walls and valves have helpers - leg muscles. Thanks to the energetic work of the muscles, the blood vessels in the legs contract and relax, pushing the blood upwards from valve to valve.
For varicose veins
The walls of the veins weaken, widen and lengthen. In this case, the valves stop closing, a gap forms between them, which leads to a slowdown in blood flow. Over time, a vicious circle develops: the slower the blood flows, the more the veins stretch and the worse the valves work.
Our veins are under attack
It is believed that varicose veins are a hereditary disease (in 98% of cases). A certain gene has been transmitted to us from our ancestors, causing weakening of the venous wall and inferiority of the venous valves. However, even in this case, the disease does not always develop.
Additional unfavorable factors:
- Overweight or obese.
- A person engages in heavy physical work, lifts weights and stands for a long time.
- Intense sports, leg injuries.
- Sedentary lifestyle: a person is forced to sit for a long time - for example, 6-8 hours a day at a computer or in a car.
- In women - wearing heels, pregnancy and childbirth, taking hormonal contraceptives (blood thickens).
- Chronic constipation.
- Dietary characteristics: increased amount of carbohydrates, lack of vegetables and fruits. Because the body does not receive the necessary substances to restore the structure of the venous wall.
How to recognize varicose veins? What should be done?
The disease has several stages of development with the gradual addition of new symptoms. Only a doctor should understand this.
You can independently assess the health of your veins and/or suspect the development of a disease.
When you go to the doctor
At the first signs of the disease: swelling, heaviness or pain in the legs, sometimes cramps in the calf muscles. In this case, there may be no visible changes in the veins of the lower extremities.
And, of course, you should go to the doctor as soon as possible if veins appear on your legs. Moreover, it does not matter which veins and how strongly they are visible. These can be dilated veins with the formation of bluish nodules. Sometimes the changes are small in the form of a vascular pattern - the so-called "stars" or "nets", which are the initial signs of varicose veins.
Correct diagnosis is the basis for successful treatment
Doppler ultrasound and duplex angioscan of the leg veins are performed. The research is informative starting from the early stage of the disease: when there are only complaints, and there are no visible changes in the veins.
From tablets and ointments to surgery
For varicose veins, contactphlebologist. The sooner the doctor takes care of the health of your feet, the more effective the treatment.
The "gold standard" is surgical removal of varicose veins, which has been performed for decades. The intervention is somewhat traumatic and is performed in the hospital under anesthesia with cuts and stitches.
However, modern medicine has a gentle and comprehensive approach to solving the problem.
The choice and combination of methods depends on the severity of the disease:
- Phlebotonics and phleboprotectors are prescribed - drugs that improve the condition and tone of the venous wall, increasing venous blood flow from the lower extremities.
- Blood thinners, inflammation reducers and pain relievers are used.
- Wearing therapeutic compression stockings (socks/jerseys). The class is chosen by the doctor depending on the stage of the disease or for prevention purposes.
- Minimally invasive surgical interventions: sclerotherapy, endovenous laser coagulation, radiofrequency vein obliteration. Altered veins are "glued together" or "sealed". The procedure lasts about an hour, and after a while the patient goes home. Advantages: no cuts, infections, choking. Thanks to technology, the risk of complications is close to zero.
Can varicose veins be cured?
No. If a person has inherited a disease from his ancestors, then no doctor can cure this disease forever.
You can remove the consequences of the disease, stop its further development and get rid of complications. However, there is a fairly high risk of relapse. Therefore, follow your doctor's recommendations and try to avoid situations that have a negative impact on the health of your veins.
Flying walk: prevention of varicose veins
Almost everyone is at risk of developing varicose veins, so it wouldn't hurt for all of us to follow simple rules in certain situations.
During pregnancy
Hormonal changes and compression of the inferior vena cava by the pregnant uterus lead to blood stagnation in the veins of the lower extremities.
How to proceed
Choose compression stockings together with your doctor. When signs of the disease appear, phlebotonics are prescribed.
In a standing or sitting occupation, heavy lifting
Blood circulation worsens and the load on the lower extremities increases.
How to proceed
Avoid tight clothing and socks with tight elastic bands. Do not wear shoes with heels higher than six cm. During work, move more often, change position and do simple exercises.
When sitting, avoid crossing your legs, crossing your legs, or putting one or both legs under you.
With a sedentary lifestyle
Blood stagnates in the veins of the lower extremities.
How to proceed
Engage in sports that place dynamic stress on the lower leg. By contracting and relaxing, the muscles improve the movement of blood in the blood vessels. Swimming, running, race walking, cycling are suitable.
With hereditary predisposition
There is a high probability that the disease gene will appear sooner or later. Moreover, it does not matter which veins weakened in our ancestors - hemorrhoids, leg or groin.
How to proceed
Visit a phlebologist once a year for a preventive examination. Try to move more and avoid situations that negatively affect the veins.
P. S.Varicose veins are a "silent" disease. For a long time, the disease does not cause pain, does not cause inconvenience and does not interfere with life. Unless the "net" is perceived as an annoying cosmetic defect. Meanwhile, a timely visit to the doctor will help to avoid many problems.