Health and Fitness

Varicose Veins: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Varicose Veins: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Varicose veins, also known as varicosities are twisted, enlarged veins that can cause aching pain and discomfort. Usually, it affects the veins of your legs because they endure more pressure as compared to other parts of the body. For some people, varicose veins and spider veins (a small variant of varicose veins) are very simple, but they can be very serious for others. 

Symptoms of Varicose Veins

Varicose Veins

via: very well health

Varicose veins show their symptoms in two parts. At the initial stage, they didn’t cause any pain but do show some symptoms. It includes:

  1. Veins with dark purple or blue colour appear on your skin.
  2. Appeared veins on your legs are twisted and bulging.  

When they start paining, they might include some more symptoms like:

  1. Heavy and achy feeling in the legs.
  2. Swelling, throbbing, burning and muscle cramping in the legs.
  3. More pain after standing or sitting for a long time. 
  4. Itching around the veins.
  5. Changes in skin colour.

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Causes of Varicose Veins

Varicose Veins

via: Conwaymedicalcenter.com

Varicose veins hit people when veins aren’t working properly. It can happen to anyone, but certain factors will increase the chances of this problem:

Ageing: Increasing the age of people can cause problems with valves (help control the blood flow) in the veins. 

Gender basis: The risk of developing this condition is very high in females, compared to males. Hormonal changes during pregnancy or before a menstrual period can also be the biggest factor. Hormone treatments like birth control pills might also increase the risk. 

Family History: If anyone in your family is affected by varicose veins, there are very chances that you will get it too. 

Weight: Overweight people are also at very high risk of this major problem because it adds pressure to your veins.

Smoking: Smoking will increase your blood pressure which put pressure on your veins. So, it may also cause this problem.

Preventive Measures to Avoid Varicose Veins

Varicose Veins

via: Medi.de

Better blood flow and muscle tone will reduce the risk of developing varicose veins. You can practice these things mentioned here to maintain better blood circulation.

  1. Say “No” to high heels and tight hosiery 
  2. Don’t stick to one motion. Move your body actively.
  3. Practice different exercises and yoga asanas to improve your blood pressure.
  4. Raise your legs while sitting or lying down. At least one time a day.
  5. Eat healthy food items that are rich in fibre and vitamins. Avoid salty products.
  6. Keep your weight normal. Overweight people are high at risk.

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Treatment of Varicose Veins

compression stockings

via: Renovatio

If you are experiencing varicose veins symptoms, then self-care or home remedies can’t work in this case. You need to see a doctor immediately.

The doctor will ask you some questions about pain, swelling aching, etc. After it, he will recommend you a test called Doppler ultrasound. It is a noninvasive test that uses sound waves to check blood flow through the valves of the veins. It can help detect the blood clot. 

After seeing the result, the doctor will tell you the next procedure. He will tell you about some set of exercises or things to avoid and recommend you wear compression shocks. It’s the first approach. If any of this didn’t work out, he will ask you for some surgeries and other procedure that includes:

  1. Sclerotherapy
  2. Laser treatment
  3. Catheter-based procedure using radiofrequency
  4. Ambulatory phlebectomy 
  5. High ligation and vein stripping

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