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 for longer. All this does not have the best effect on our blood vessels, and especially on veins with varicose veins.
Use some life slowdowns to your advantage: take care of the health of your feet.
What are varicose veins?
It would seem that everything is extremely clear: these are dilated and visible veins in the legs.
However, such changes are not just a cosmetic defect, but a manifestation of insidious varicose veins.
What is going on?
The superficial veins of the lower extremities dilate, leading to the creation of conditions for slowing blood flow and the formation of thrombi (blood clots) in the lumen of the vessels.
Dangers
Due to lack of nutrition and blood supply, trophic ulcers appear - long-term non-healing skin defects on the legs.
The resulting blood clots can break apart and travel with blood throughout the body. What does this mean? The development of thromboembolism: the lumen of the vessel is suddenly obstructed and an obstacle to blood flow is created. Different organs are affected: an acute cerebrovascular accident (stroke) or a heart attack (myocardial, kidney, lung) can occur. The complication is life-threatening and often leads to disability.
What else is known about varicose veins?
The older a person gets, the greater the risk of developing varicose veins. The disease has neither sex nor age. The disease can also occur in children, although it is quite rare. Women get sick more often than men.
A short 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 flows easily through the arteries.
After reaching the legs, the blood turns and begins to travel back through the veins, from the legs back to the heart. Without additional anatomical structures, this process is difficult, because the blood simply flows back. It is to ensure normal blood flow that nature has provided valves in the veins that allow blood to flow in only one direction - up.
The heart, walls of veins and valves have assistants - leg muscles. Thanks to the energetic work of the muscles, the blood vessels in the legs contract and relax, pushing blood up from one valve to another.
For varicose veins
The walls of the veins weaken, dilate and stretch. In this case, the valves stop closing, a gap forms between them, which leads to a slowdown in blood flow. Over time, a vicious cycle develops: the slower the blood flow, the more the veins stretch and the worse the valve works.
Our veins are under attack
Varicose veins are believed to be a hereditary disease (in 98% of cases). A certain gene was passed on to us from our ancestors, causing weakness 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 is engaged 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 the computer or in the car.
- In women: wear heels, during pregnancy and childbirth, take hormonal contraceptives (blood thickens).
- Chronic constipation.
- Dietary features: increased amount of carbohydrates, lack of fruits and vegetables. Because the body does not receive the necessary substances to restore the structure of the venous 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 illness: 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 need to consult a doctor as soon as possible if veins appear on your legs. Furthermore, it does not matter which veins and how strongly they are visible. These may be dilated veins with the formation of bluish nodules. Sometimes the changes are minor in the form of a vascular pattern - the so-called "stars" or "nets", which are the first signs of varicose veins.
A correct diagnosis is the basis for effective treatment
Doppler ultrasound and duplex angioscanning of the leg veins are performed. Research is informative starting from the initial 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 your doctor takes care of your foot health, the more effective the treatment will be.
The "gold standard" is surgical removal of varicose veins, which has been performed for decades. The operation is quite traumatic and is performed in hospital under anesthesia with incisions and sutures.
However, modern medicine takes a gentle and comprehensive approach to solve 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 limbs.
- Anticoagulants, inflammation reducers and pain relievers are used.
- Wear therapeutic compression stockings (stockings/tights). The class is selected by the doctor based on the stage of the disease or for preventive purposes.
- Minimally invasive surgical interventions: sclerotherapy, endovenous laser coagulation, obliteration of veins with radiofrequency. Altered veins are "glued together" or "sealed. "The procedure lasts about an hour and after some time the patient goes home. Advantages: absence of cuts, infections, suppurations. Thanks to technology the risk of complications is close to zero.
Can varicose veins be cured?
NO. If a person inherited a disease from his ancestors, no doctor will be able to cure this disease forever.
You can remove the consequences of the disease, stop its further development and eliminate complications. However, the risk of recurrence remains quite high. Therefore, follow your doctor's recommendations and try to avoid situations that negatively impact the health of your veins.
Flying gait: prevention of varicose veins
Almost every person is at risk of developing varicose veins, so it would not be bad 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 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 sedentary occupation, heavy lifting
Blood circulation worsens and the load in the lower extremities increases.
How to proceed
Avoid tight clothing and socks with tight elastic. Do not wear shoes with heels higher than six cm. While working, move more often, change positions and do simple exercises.
When sitting, avoid crossing your legs, crossing your legs, or placing one or both legs under you.
With a sedentary lifestyle
Blood stagnates in the veins of the lower limbs.
How to proceed
Practice sports that place dynamic stress on the lower leg. By contracting and relaxing, muscles improve the movement of blood in the vessels. Swimming, running, walking, cycling are suitable.
With 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, legs 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 your veins.
PSVaricose veins are a "silent" disease. For a long time the disease does not cause pain, does not cause discomfort and does not interfere with life. Unless the "retina" is perceived as an annoying cosmetic defect. Meanwhile, a timely visit to the doctor will help avoid many problems.