Rainy autumn is coming - the 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, especially on veins with varicose veins.
Use a little 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's happening?
The superficial veins of the lower extremities expand, which leads to the creation of conditions for the slowing down of blood flow and the formation of thrombus (blood clots) in the lumen of blood vessels.
Dangers
Due to the lack of nutrition and blood supply, trophic ulcers appear - long-term unhealed skin defects on the legs.
Formed blood clots can break off and travel with the blood throughout the body. What it means? Development of thromboembolism: the lumen of the vessel is suddenly blocked and an obstacle to blood flow is created. Various organs are affected: acute cerebrovascular infarction (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 is, the greater the risk of developing varicose veins. The disease has neither gender nor age. The disease can occur even 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 blood vessels. Thanks to the force of gravity from top to bottom, blood moves easily through the arteries.
Having reached the legs, the blood turns and begins to move back through the veins - from the legs to the heart. Without additional anatomical structures, this process is difficult, because the blood will simply flow back. To ensure normal blood flow, 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 blood upwards from valve to valve.
For varicose veins
The walls of the veins weaken, widen and elongate. In this case, the valves stop closing, a gap is created between them, which slows down blood flow. Over time, a vicious circle develops: the slower the blood flows, the more the veins stretch and the valves work worse.
Our veins are under attack
Varicose veins are considered to be a hereditary disease (in 98% of cases). A certain gene is passed down to us from our ancestors, causing weakness of the vein wall and inferiority of the venous valves. However, even in this case, the disease does not always develop.
Additional unfavorable factors:
- Overweight or obesity.
- The person does heavy physical work, lifts weights and stands on his feet 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.
- Nutritional characteristics: increased amount of carbohydrates, lack of vegetables and fruits. Because the body does not receive the substances needed to restore the structure of the vein wall.
How to recognize varicose veins? what to do?
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 to go to the doctor
At the first signs of the disease: swelling, heaviness or pain in the legs, sometimes spasms in the calf muscles. In this case, there may be no visible changes in the veins of the lower extremities.
And, of course, if veins appear on your legs, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible. Moreover, it does not matter what the veins are and how visible they are. These can be enlarged 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 of successful treatment
Doppler ultrasound and duplex angioscanning of leg veins are performed. Research is informative starting from the early stage of the disease: when there are only complaints and no visible changes in the veins.
From pills and ointments to surgery
For varicose veins, contact usphlebologist. The sooner the doctor takes care of the health of your feet, the more effective the treatment.
The "gold standard" is the surgical removal of varicose veins, which has been carried out for decades. The intervention is somewhat traumatic and is performed in a hospital under anesthesia with incisions 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 the outflow of venous blood from the lower extremities.
- Blood thinners, inflammation and pain relievers are used.
- Wearing therapeutic compression stockings (stockings/socks). The class is chosen by the doctor depending on the stage of the disease or for the purpose of prevention.
- Minimally invasive surgical interventions: sclerotherapy, endovenous laser coagulation, radiofrequency obliteration of veins. Altered veins are "glued together" or "sealed". The procedure lasts about an hour, and after some time the patient goes home. Advantages: no cuts, infections, suppuration. 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 still a fairly high risk of recurrence. Therefore, follow the doctor's recommendations and try to avoid situations that negatively affect the health of your veins.
Flying gait: prevention of varicose veins
Almost everyone is at risk of developing varicose veins, so it wouldn't hurt if we all followed simple rules in certain situations.
During pregnancy
Hormonal changes and compression of the inferior vena cava by the pregnant uterus leads to stagnation of blood in the veins of the lower extremities.
How to proceed
Choose compression stockings together with your doctor. When signs of illness appear, phlebotonics are prescribed.
In a standing or sitting occupation, lifting heavy loads
Blood circulation worsens and the load on the lower extremities increases.
How to proceed
Avoid tight clothing and socks with narrow elastic bands. Do not wear shoes with a heel higher than six cm, while you work, move more often, change your position and do simple exercises.
When sitting, avoid crossing your legs, crossing your legs, or tucking one or both legs under you.
With a sedentary lifestyle
Blood stagnates in the veins of the lower extremities.
How to proceed
Do sports that dynamically load the lower leg. By contracting and relaxing, the muscles improve the movement of blood in the vessels. It is suitable for swimming, running, jogging, cycling.
With a hereditary predisposition
There is a high probability that the disease gene will manifest itself sooner or later. Moreover, it does not matter which veins were weakened in our ancestors - hemorrhoids, on the legs or in the 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 "mesh" is perceived as an unpleasant cosmetic defect. Meanwhile, a timely visit to the doctor will help to avoid many problems.