Varicose veins (VV) are one of the most common diseases.The insidiousness of this disease lies in the fact that, for many years, all the pathological changes in the blood vessels are barely felt, which can then quickly lead to the development of venous insufficiency, thrombophlebitis or the formation of trophic ulcers.To avoid this, you need to take care of your veins without waiting for serious symptoms of the disease to appear.
What are varicose veins?
Varicose veins are the phenomenon of veins becoming wider than expected in a certain area.As a result, it stretches and becomes crooked.The blood flow in such vessels becomes chaotic, leading to stagnation, inflammation and the formation of blood clots.
Varicose veins can appear in almost any part of the body, where the vessels have valves that prevent blood from flowing backward.
Varicose veins in the legs: stages of the disease
Early stage of varicose veins (compensation).The veins in the legs are practically unchanged;Only spider veins may be observed or characteristic tortuosity of each vessel may appear.At the end of the day, sometimes you worry about slight swelling in your legs, fatigue, tiredness and general discomfort.
The duration of this phase is many years.If you start treatment at this time, you can significantly delay or completely stop the progression of the disease.This period is most favorable for conservative treatment.
Second stage of varicose veins (subcompensation).At this stage, cramps in the calves may appear at night, veins become more prominent, and the limbs ache intermittently.Swelling of the ankle joint occurs almost continuously but disappears in the morning.The skin in the shin area is purple brown.
This phase also lasts many years.Conservative treatments are no longer as effective as in the early stages, so doctors here increasingly encourage a variety of surgical interventions.Preventive measures aim to ensure that the disease does not enter the decompensation phase for as long as possible.
Third stage of varicose veins (decompensation).The more the veins swell, the swelling may not go away in the morning, the skin in the lower leg area becomes thinner, and wounds appear that do not heal for a long time.As a rule, at this stage the most dangerous complications develop:
- thrombophlebitis (thrombosis and phlebitis);
- Nutritional dermatitis, ulcers;
- pulmonary embolism (the most dangerous complication, when a blood clot breaks off in the lower extremities and enters the bloodstream into the lungs, which then leads to respiratory arrest and death in 5-8 out of 10 people);
- chronic venous insufficiency (swollen and tired legs even when the problem of varicose veins has been resolved).
At this stage, all therapeutic and preventive measures are aimed at preventing the development of complications, and if they have already appeared, minimizing their consequences.
Which doctor treats varicose veins?
Phlebologist.This is a vascular surgeon with a narrow specialization in the treatment of venous diseases.He is the one who treats varicose veins.
However, if in your locality there is no surgeon or consultation with him is extremely difficult, then you can contact the vascular surgeon for help, or if he is absent, just go to the general surgeon who will do outpatient visits.This is much better than letting the disease run its course.
How to treat varicose veins?
Treatment of varicose veins largely depends on the stage of the disease, the presence of complications and the specific clinical picture of the disease.
In the initial stages, the main focus is on changing lifestyle, giving up bad habits that aggravate varicose veins, and normalizing body weight.In this case, according to regulations, patients are allowed to use folk remedies, treat with leeches, and take herbal medicines.If the disease continues to progress, then drugs will be prescribed to increase the tone of the veins and improve the rheological properties of the blood, as well as wearing compression garments.
At the second stage, drug treatment and compression bandages become mandatory and surgical intervention is performed if necessary.To prevent complications, annual planned treatment sessions should be carried out in the hospital.
At the third stage, the choice of method is determined by the presence of complications and the general clinical picture of the disease.If serious complications occur, the patient must be hospitalized in the surgical department.
Varicose vein treatment: what lifestyle changes should you make?
Exercise.More than anything else, our veins enjoy it when we walk a lot.Standing or sedentary work contributes to the development of varicose veins.Therefore, if you are forced to stand or sit for long periods of time, you should perform special exercises every 40–50 minutes.
Habit.As you know, blood flows through veins from the heels to the heart.Anything that compresses or compresses blood vessels and surrounding tissues impedes the natural flow of blood and contributes to the progression of varicose veins.Therefore, already in the early stages of the disease, you should say goodbye to habits such as:
- sitting in a “feet on legs” position (blood flow is impaired at the level of the popliteal fossa, so it is better to change to the American “feet on legs” or “feet on the back of the chair” position);
- wearing tight belts, stockings, stockings, belts, too tight jeans, tight underwear (partly compresses the veins in the groin, knees or, due to a tight belt, does not allow breathing from the "belly", almost excluding the diaphragm from breathing, in particular it facilitates the movement of blood to the heart);
- overeating (overeating always makes you gain extra pounds, and any excess weight itself can lead to varicose veins);
- Wearing high heels for a long time (in this case, the load on the legs increases and the knee area, which facilitates the movement of blood upward, becomes almost disabled).