Treatment of varicose veins on the legs

Treatment of varicose veins at home: what is the danger?

Most patients with varicose veins of varying severity do not treat vein disease or treat it at home. This leads to sad consequences: complications develop, the patient loses the ability to move on his own legs, and becomes disabled. Avoiding troubles is actually not difficult: you just need to treat varicose veins as soon as they are detected, without starting the disease.

There are several methods for treating vein disease; an experienced doctor will tell you which one is right for you.

Many people write about how to treat varicose veins on the legs using folk remedies, but not everyone talks about the dangerous consequences. It should be remembered that traditional methods were developed when there were simply no other methods of treating veins. Now they exist and the problem can be solved much faster and easier.

• Treatment with apple cider vinegar.Apple cider vinegar is one of the most popular home remedies for treating varicose veins. On the Internet, readers are encouraged to dilute vinegar with honey and drink on an empty stomach, dilute with water and wipe their feet. But remember that apple cider vinegar is an acid. Taking it orally can negatively affect digestion. External use also raises questions, since with varicose veins the skin becomes dry, and the acid dries it out even more. This can aggravate the course of the disease, especially if your legs itch with varicose veins.
• Treatment with chestnut fruits.Chestnut tinctures are also recommended to be taken orally and rubbed into the affected areas to get rid of pain and eliminate itching due to varicose veins. Only the horse chestnut is poisonous. Under no circumstances should it be eaten raw. Even when taking a tincture prepared from the fruits of this plant, signs of poisoning (vomiting, nausea, weakness) and cramps in the lower extremities may appear. In addition, chestnut tincture increases blood pressure. External use of an alcohol solution dries out the skin of the legs, which is not very good for varicose veins and is simply unacceptable in advanced stages of varicose veins.
• Treatment with leeches.Leeches bite through the skin and introduce into the human body a mixture of useful substances that have a beneficial effect on the blood, thinning it, and have an antibacterial effect. However, it is better not to place leeches at home, but to entrust it to a certified specialist, since you need to know exactly the places where leeches can be placed and where not. In the first days after treatment of veins with leeches, itching is often observed. The bite sites are very itchy, the person cannot stand it and begins to scratch the itchy area, as a result of which an ulcer can form. Also, after leech bites, small triangular scars remain on the legs. For some, for life.
• Folk remedies that a doctor can prescribe.At the initial stage of venous insufficiency, the doctor may prescribe contrasting foot baths for the patient’s veins. The alternating action of cold and hot water relaxes and constricts the veins in the legs. This kind of gymnastic effect strengthens blood vessels, improves microcirculation, and eliminates itching. The method can be used at home as often as desired. Especially if it is not possible to visit the pool. Varicose veins stop progressing and your legs stop hurting.

  And, for example, clay can help to cope well with tired legs, eliminate itching and minor swelling at the initial stage of varicose veins. A heaping tablespoon of pharmaceutical clay is diluted with water to a thick paste. Then the paste is applied to the shins with a brush or cotton pad. It is important not to let the clay dry out; you must constantly add a new layer or moisten the existing layer with water. After an hour, the clay should be carefully washed off and your feet should be allowed to dry without wiping with a towel. Course – 12 sessions, can be repeated monthly.

But before treating varicose veins at home, consult your doctor. It is better not to waste time on procedures with questionable effectiveness. Rather, it will be possible not to cure the legs, but to wait for the severity to worsen and complications to develop.

Effective conservative treatment

It’s ingrained in people’s minds: if your legs hurt, your veins are bulging, your veins are severely itching (itching), then you need to get ready for surgery. In fact, everything depends on the stage of the disease, which is determined not only by the degree of bulging of the veins or the severity of the venous network in the lower extremities. In most cases, the doctor tries to cope with the disease using conservative treatment methods and without surgery. For this, an integrated approach is used: physical activity, changes in diet, medication and physiotherapeutic treatment are prescribed; compression garments are selected.

1. Physical activity.Modern man is sedentary: he sits at work and at home, gets to the office by sitting in the subway or on the bus. All this leads to physical inactivity and venous incompetence. The veins of the legs weaken and cannot cope with their work, and varicose veins develop. Therefore, it is important to return the patient to an active lifestyle. The doctor may prescribe walking for at least two hours a day, Nordic walking, swimming in the pool, or classes in a recreational sports training group. It is better to avoid working on your legs at any stage of the disease.

2. Diet.This is not about diet, but about proper nutrition with limiting the consumption of certain food groups. Animal fats, margarines, mayonnaise, and fast carbohydrates (sweets, pies, cakes) are prohibited. It is recommended to consume more liquid and plant foods. Meals should be balanced, at least five times a day. Eating right is important to fully control your weight. Extra pounds put extra strain on the veins of the legs and increase the risk of worsening chronic venous insufficiency at any stage of varicose veins.

3. Drug treatment.If the situation is not advanced and varicose veins proceed without complications, drug therapy is used, more often at home. Typically, drugs from several groups are used:

   • Venotonics (phlebotonics) are used in the form of tablets, ointments or gels. They help maintain the tone of the vein walls, facilitating the movement of blood through them. Particularly good for mild illness.
   • Antiplatelet agents prevent blood components from sticking together into a clot, which minimizes the risk of developing blood clots in the lower extremities.
   • Anticoagulants usually contain glycosaminoglycan or are based on it. Maintains optimal blood viscosity - slightly dilutes it so that it moves freely through the vessels of the legs.
   • Angioprotectors protect the walls of the veins, making them more elastic and invulnerable to internal damage.
   • Anti-inflammatory drugs prevent the appearance of inflammatory reactions on the walls of blood vessels, especially in an advanced stage, and have an analgesic effect.
   • Products based on plant components (horse chestnut, lilac, sweet clover, white acacia, etc. ) are a replacement for traditional herbal medicine.

   Pharmacological forms differ in targeted action and predictable effect. They have practically no contraindications. Used as part of complex therapy to reduce swelling and pain in the legs. Medications are prescribed by the doctor after appropriate examination of the patient. He selects not only suitable products, but also the form of release: injections, tablets, ointments, gels, foot compresses. The phlebologist recommends treating varicose veins at home or in a hospital, based on the stage of the disease and the degree of development of complications.

4. Physiotherapeutic treatment (PTL).For varicose veins, physiotherapeutic devices help medications penetrate the area of the affected vessels faster and enhance the effect of the medications. As a result, the treatment time is significantly reduced, the doctor has the opportunity to transfer the patient from therapeutic doses to maintenance doses, and to cancel some medications. Basic FTL methods:

   • electrophoresis helps deliver medicine to varicose veins through the action of a weak electric current;
   • darsonvalization increases the tone of the veins, reduces stagnation of interstitial fluid, and therefore itching with varicose veins;
   • Magnetic therapy improves blood flow in the veins, significantly reduces tissue swelling;
   • pneumomassage of the lower extremities increases the tone of the vein walls, reduces swelling, itching and improves blood flow;
   • laser therapy reduces the severity of inflammatory reactions, improves blood microcirculation, and has a venoprotective effect;
   • cryotherapy (cold) tones blood vessels, improves lymphatic drainage, and relieves itching;
   • hydrotherapy (treatment with water) tones and has a general strengthening effect;
   • Mud therapy strengthens the walls of blood vessels on the legs and has a beneficial effect on the skin, promoting its regeneration and minimizing itching.

   Physiotherapeutic treatment cannot be prescribed for some conditions. In addition, different stages of varicose veins require different treatments. Therefore, FTL is prescribed by two doctors at once: a phlebologist and a physiotherapist. Some procedures, especially with the initial degree of vascular damage, can be performed at home; many FTL devices are now sold in pharmacies. We recommend a pocket electrostimulator of venous outflow, which quickly and effectively helps to cope with the symptoms of varicose veins.

Compression jersey

An auxiliary method that facilitates the movement of blood through the veins. Compression jersey is available for men and women.

Products can take the form of stockings, socks or tights, and vary in color, size and degree of compression. Outwardly, they look like ordinary ones, but they have a pronounced therapeutic and prophylactic effect. It's all about special elastic threads and a thoughtful knitting pattern.

As a result, the veins receive external support and begin to cope with their work. Pain, itching and swelling in the lower extremities decrease, the disease stops progressing.

The doctor recommends compression hosiery based on the stage of varicose veins. He also tells you how to put it on correctly and how long to wear it.

The correct use of leg jersey determines its effectiveness. We consider Swiss compression knitwear to be the most reliable and high-quality.

Surgical treatment methods

When conservative therapy does not help, surgical treatment is resorted to. The doctor has the opportunity to choose the most appropriate method, which will be most effective and minimally traumatic at a certain stage of varicose veins.

• Sclerotherapy.The doctor injects a special solution into the lumen of the affected vein, which causes the walls to stick together and stop the flow of blood through the treated vessel. The vein stops protruding above the surface of the skin and is gradually replaced by connective tissue.
• Endovasal laser therapyknown under two names: EVLO (endovenous laser vein obliteration) and EVLC (endovasal laser vein coagulation). The essence is the same: with the help of a laser pulse, the affected vein is sealed and ceases to function. The intervention does not affect the surrounding tissues of the lower extremities and does not require general anesthesia. Can be performed on an outpatient basis. Recovery is fast, leaving no marks on the leg. Laser therapy is possible at any stage of varicose veins, except those accompanied by complications.
• Phlebectomy.A standard surgical procedure used for severe disease and performed under general anesthesia. The affected section of the vein is removed. After the operation, scars about half a centimeter long remain, almost invisible on the skin. The recovery period after phlebectomy is long. The patient spends about two weeks in the hospital. During this time, he wears compression stockings, takes medications and visits a physiotherapy room. After the stitches are removed, the patient is discharged to continue treating varicose veins at home. Complications are rare.

Surgeries to remove varicose veins of the lower extremities are performed only when the patient has preserved blood flow through the deep veins. After the operation, the blood should rise freely through the bypass vessels so that there are no complications.

Prevention of varicose veins on the legs after treatment

After successful treatment of varicose veins on the legs, the patient should not lose vigilance. If the cause that led to the disease is not eliminated, another vein may expand and everything will happen again. First of all, you need to give up bad habits, eat right, lead an active lifestyle, wear compression stockings during increased physical activity, choose shoes with low heels, periodically visit your doctor for a preventive examination and follow his recommendations.

The tips are simple and easy to follow. If you follow them, you are unlikely to ever encounter complications of varicose veins and the need to stay in a hospital. And if someone from your family joins you, it will also benefit him. And remember: the best treatment for varicose veins is prevention. If you have suspicious symptoms or are at risk, contact your doctor immediately!