What are varicose veins
Women develop varicose veins more often than men
Varicose veins are a common disease among women and men. Previously, it was considered age-related, but now people suffer from it from the age of twenty. This pathology is characterized by blockage of the veins, due to which the outflow of blood is disrupted and the vessels are under pressure.
As a result, they lose their elasticity and swell. Vein-shaped bumps appear on the surface of the skin, which darken over time, swell and cause severe pain. Varicose veins also impede blood circulation throughout the body, which can lead to the development of other concomitant diseases.
Women are more susceptible to developing varicose veins than men. According to statistics, there are almost four times more representatives of the fair sex among patients. This is due to the fact that they have more reasons for the development of this pathology, for example, carrying a child and stress on the lower limbs, wearing heels and less physical activity.
Varicose veins are not only a cosmetic problem. Poor circulation can lead to the development of many cardiovascular diseases. Due to disruption of venous blood flow, not all organs and systems receive blood in full.
And it, as you know, performs a transport function and supplies the entire body with useful substances and oxygen. Due to the occurrence of obstruction of blood vessels in the legs. Blood flows poorly to other organs. This can cause oxygen starvation.
Prevention
Internal varicose veins on the legs can be prevented by taking simple preventive measures:
- Non-intensive sports (swimming, dancing).
- Do not cross your legs while sitting.
- Proper nutrition, weight loss.
- Rejection of bad habits.
- Taking salt baths.
- Wearing comfortable clothes and shoes that fit.
Varicose veins of deep veins are a curable disease if you consult a doctor in a timely manner. Attentive attention to the condition of your feet will preserve their beauty and health in the future.
Stages of the disease
Swelling of the legs appears in the third stage of varicose veins
In medicine, there are 6 main stages of development of varicose veins. Once the disease begins, the patient does not experience any symptoms. Spider veins may only appear on the legs, which are completely painless.
This is already a signal that blood flow in the limbs is disrupted. This stage is considered zero. If treatment is not started, the disease will progress and manifest itself in the following stages:
- Telangiectasia is the first stage, which is characterized by a pronounced vascular pattern on the skin. Sometimes, at night, calf muscle cramps may occur, accompanied by severe pain. In order for the cramp to go away, you need to pull the toe of your foot towards you with all your might.
- At the second stage, varicose veins are added, which can be felt and visually seen. After a long walk, they hurt and a burning sensation appears.
- At the third stage, swelling occurs, which goes away only after rest, but reappears during exercise.
- At the fourth stage of development of varicose veins, eczema, severe swelling, constant itching and pain in the legs appear.
- 5 and 6 are characterized by a trophic ulcer, which can initially still be healed. But then a non-healing source of inflammation appears, where bacteria multiply all the time, causing severe pain and the inability to fully walk.
It is worth knowing that effective treatment can only be achieved in the first three stages. Then you can only take medications that will maintain your legs in that condition, without worsening. Trophic ulcers are very difficult to treat. This is a long process that does not always bring positive results.
Treatment of varicose veins with folk remedies
Important! Before using folk remedies for varicose veins, be sure to consult with your doctor!
Treatment of varicose veins with ready-made herbal preparations
Comment by herbalist A.A. Malgin: herbal treatment (herbal medicine) has certain wonderful advantages, for example:
- herbal medicine eliminates the causes of the disease,
- herbs have a minimal number of contraindications (usually individual intolerance),
- herbal treatment has minimal side effects,
- herbs contain a large number of vitamins and other useful substances, which, in addition to treating the disease, also contribute to the health of the body as a whole,
- affordability.
Read also: acute respiratory infections - symptoms, causes, types, treatment and prevention of acute respiratory infections
Herbalists offer ready-made solutions that already take into account the specific composition of the collection, dosage, sequence, etc. The courses are developed by medical specialists based on their many years of experience.
Other folk remedies against varicose veins
Kalanchoe pinnate . Wash the leaves of Kalanchoe pinnate and put them in a liter jar (there should be half a jar of leaves). Fill with 70% alcohol and leave in a dark place for 14 days. Shake the jar before applying. Lubricate your legs and feet every day before going to bed. The pain will go away after the first use. If varicose veins are advanced, then treatment requires 4 months.
Apples "Antonovka" . Place 3 apples in boiling 1 liter of water, cover with a lid and place in a warm place for 4 hours. Next, without removing the apples, break them, mix the solution and strain. Take by adding 1 tbsp. a spoonful of honey, half a glass (50 g) in the morning before meals, and in the evening before bed. The product also cleanses the blood, improves sleep and appetite.
Potato . Peel 5 potatoes and grate. Rub and spread the resulting puree onto your feet. After 4 hours, the pain will completely go away, and then rinse the potatoes with warm water.
Horse chestnut flowers . Pour 50 g of flowers into 0.5 liters of alcohol and let it brew for 14 days, shaking the bottle every day. Pass the resulting tincture through a mesh and consume 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day before meals, washed down with water. After treatment for a week, take a break for 2 weeks. Then repeat again.
Garlic with oil . Take garlic with white husk and chop it. Mix it with two parts butter. Apply to protruding veins at night, place parchment paper on top and secure with a bandage or warm scarf. In the morning, rinse off and put on something warm and soft on your feet.
Main causes of the disease
Varicose veins of the legs can develop during pregnancy due to increased stress
There are many reasons for the development of varicose veins, let's consider the most common among them:
- Heredity is one of the most common causes. Of course, varicose veins themselves are not transmitted at the genetic level, but pathologies (for example, weakness of vascular tissue) are inherited, due to which varicose veins develop at a fairly early age.
- Sedentary work or excessive physical stress on the limbs becomes a direct cause of the development of the disease. If a person sits, stands or lifts weights for a long time, the vascular walls cannot withstand such stress and automatically lose their elasticity.
- Women often experience hormonal imbalances. Excess or lack of progesterone and estrogen leads to blood stagnation and decreased blood pressure. Because of this, the blood cannot fully function in the extremities and finds “weak” spots in the vessels for the formation of blood clots.
- During pregnancy, when there is a large load on the lower limbs, varicose veins may develop. To avoid this, it is recommended to use preventative creams, get more rest and eat right so that moisture does not accumulate in the body.
- All blood vessels have nerve endings, the condition of which helps maintain their elasticity. If the patient is often exposed to stress and nervous tension, the endings weaken, causing the vessels to become less elastic.
In addition to those described, there are many more diseases and causes for the development of varicose veins. When treating, it is very important to establish why the pathology develops, since during treatment it is necessary to act not on the symptoms, but on the cause.
Consequences and complications
If not treated promptly, thrombophlebitis may become a complication of varicose veins.
If varicose veins are not treated promptly, they can cause complications in the form of other diseases:
- Thrombophlebitis is a pathology that occurs due to the accumulation of dense blood particles that form a blood clot. It blocks the venous passage and disrupts blood circulation. Because of this, an inflammatory process occurs on the inner wall of the blood vessels, a painful sensation, and heaviness in the limbs.
- A trophic ulcer is essentially the final stage of the development of varicose veins. It is characterized by the formation of a non-healing wound that constantly oozes, bleeds and hurts. It provokes severe inflammation, which cannot be relieved at home. A trophic ulcer is fraught with infection, tissue necrosis or the development of gangrene.
- Bleeding from varicose veins, which occurs in case of severe damage to blood vessels. At the initial stage of varicose veins, they simply become deformed, where small nodes appear due to blood stagnation. If you do not provide assistance, the condition of the damaged vessel will worsen and ruptures will appear on it, which will begin to bleed. Because of this, a severe hematoma occurs in the area of the node and pain. Sometimes the surface of the epidermis can be damaged, resulting in constant bleeding.
- Since varicose veins impair blood circulation, when talking about complications, one cannot fail to mention the general condition of the body. Hypertension often occurs - high blood pressure, oxygen starvation of organs due to a lack of blood supply and oxygen in it. Often concomitant pathologies can be heart failure, myocardial infarction, stroke and other diseases of the cardiovascular system.
We must not forget that the body is a single mechanism that can function fully only when all organs and systems are in a resourceful state.
Diagnostics
Detection of the disease consists of several methods:
- External examination of the leg, palpation, collection of anamnesis, including hereditary history.
- Functional tests:
- Schwartz test. Determination of valvular insufficiency of the segment under study by tapping on a varicose node or vein trunk.
- Perthes test. The patient is asked to walk a little, after first clamping the superficial vessels with a tourniquet. With varicose veins, blueness of the skin and painful sensations appear, indicating violations of the deep veins.
- Plantar test - when pressing on the heel, the patient feels pain.
- Ultrasound examination of the limbs.
- Sonographic examination - assessment of the direction and speed of blood flow.
- Duplex scanning. The method combines ultrasound and Doppler, with which you can detect changes in the veins in the early stages and prevent the development of varicose veins.
- Rheovasography is a study of blood supply to organs.
- Phlebography is a method showing the throughput of venous vessels.
