Physical pain is an unpleasant and multifaceted sensation. The presence of a pain factor indicates that there is a problem in the body. By locating and describing the type of pain experienced by the patient, the specialist will be able to identify its origin and cause. If there is a suspicion of the presence of varicose veins, then for an accurate differentiation of the problem, general clinical studies (blood, urine) and probably instrumental examinations will be required.
But in order to independently determine the presence of a problem and go to a specialist with him, it is important to highlight it against the background of fatigue or usual malaise. What kind of pain does a person with varicose veins experience? What is its specificity? And what treatment is possible in this case? You will find answers to these and other questions in our article.
Leg pain with varicose veins: symptoms and causes.
Varicose vein pain is not the only manifestation of this disease, but it causes serious discomfort. How severe are leg pain with varicose veins? Of course, there are differences in individual thresholds of sensitivity, but the intensity of most pain syndromes is due to the peculiarities of the actual disease process.
Expert opinion
Leg pain with varicose veins includes a wide range of unpleasant sensations: aches, spasms, cramps, burning, distention, and pressure along the venous bed. They are sudden, painful and throbbing in nature.
As a general rule, the pain syndrome is felt less or more acutely, depending on the position the body is in, whether it is loaded with any load at the moment or not. Pain also has a characteristic such as time dependence. This means that with the arrival of a certain time of day, the pain syndrome begins to intensify. So, severe pain with varicose veins occurs from the second half of the day. Varicose veins of the uterus and varicose veins of the small pelvis, in which severe pain is often felt in the lower abdomen, also have a similar dependence on time.
An insidious disease such as varicose veins covers the entire limb and can create pain in the joints of the lower leg, the calf muscle, and the popliteal cavity. The person experiences the most acute unpleasant sensations in the area of neurovascular formations. In the area where the vascular bundle is more superficially, edema of the legs can also occur. This is another sign that varicose veins are progressing and there is already a violation of lymphatic flow. Does the swelling make the leg pain worse? Of course yes. Swelling, formed as a result of disorders in the venous system of the lower extremities, is characterized by compaction over the affected vessel and even a local increase in temperature. The combination of signs such as pain in the vein and its deformation, persistent and persistent edema, and trophic changes indicates stage II varicose veins. This stage is considered an advanced form of the disease. To prevent it, it is important to know the triggers of this vascular disease and its exact symptoms.
The presence of even one of the following symptoms should alert you and motivate you to seek medical advice:
- a feeling of heaviness in the legs and a feeling of muscle weakness;
- tingling and burning throughout the veins;
- feeling of internal pressure or "bloating";
- the appearance of telangiectasias and increased venous pattern;
- bulging deformed veins;
- trophic changes of the skin;
- long, non-healing wounds on the legs;
- edematous phenomena;
- numbness of the lower extremities;
- cramps in the muscles of the legs;
- pain syndrome.
No disease occurs by itself. There are definitely factors that can be called provocative. Varicose veins are no exception, so their appearance may be due to:
- hereditary predisposition;
- congenital weakness of the connective tissue and vascular walls;
- inactive lifestyle and static sports;
- excessive physical activity;
- standing or sitting for a long time forced (for example, at work);
- improper nutrition and overweight;
- the presence of bad habits;
- pregnancy and childbirth;
- hormonal imbalance;
- soft tissue injuries;
- Surgical intervention;
- liver disease.
Depending on the presence of these factors in a person, they are included in the risk group for the development of vascular pathology. How to minimize the risk of developing the disease? What can you do if your legs start to hurt? How and how to relieve or reduce pain in leg with varicose veins? How to help yourself relieve varicose vein symptoms and how to treat blood vessels, later in our article.
Leg pain with varicose veins: prevention and treatment.
Before starting to engage in the prevention and treatment of vascular disease, it is worthwhile to understand a little why there are pains in the legs with varicose veins. Pain in the legs with varicose veins occurs due to the fact that an irreversible pathological process occurs in the veins, under the influence of which they are stretched and deformed, blood circulation is disturbed, and venous stasis occurs. Therefore, preventive measures and treatment will be aimed at strengthening the walls of the veins and not exclusively at eliminating pain. With varicose veins, the legs require special care and attention. What should be done when the first signs of the development of pathology begin to appear?
The first thing to do when something hurts is see a doctor.
If, after a series of manipulations, a specialist discovers that the pain is caused by varicose veins, the appropriate treatment will be selected. He will help to get rid of the manifestations of varicose veins and improve the quality of life, because varicose veins are not a sentence.
In the treatment of absolutely any disease, first of all there is the recommendation to change the lifestyle. It is simply impossible to be a healthy person with a passive lifestyle, bad habits, imbalance in daily routine, and inadequate nutrition. Therefore, the first step that will help eliminate pain in the legs with varicose veins will be a qualitative change and the formation of a healthy lifestyle. It is necessary to bring harmony to the mode of work and rest. Labor should not be associated with excessive physical and mental stress. Rest should include a full and healthy night's sleep. Free time should be actively spent, staying outdoors and playing sports. The latter include swimming, walking, aerobics. Any non-puncher and not overloaded with powerful physical activity classes.
Expert opinion
In order for the vein walls to be strong and elastic, it is important to eat properly. Here, depending on the stage of the disease and its dynamics, a specialist can offer a therapeutic diet. The fundamental principle on which it is based is balance. The diet should include foods enriched with vitamins, fiber, vegetable fibers, flavonoids, etc. It is useful to eat lean chicken or beef, as well as lean white fish, berries and fruits with vitamin C, nuts (raisins, dates), almost all vegetables, nuts and legumes, cereals, as well as non-carbonated natural drinks. It is necessary to exclude fried, salty, smoked and spicy.
If, for some reason, an additional source of nutrients is required, then a specialist will prescribe it - a complex of venotonic vitamins and plant extracts, which act simultaneously in several directions, due to the content of active natural components in their composition. Taking this remedy, you can strengthen and clean the walls of the venous vessels, improve blood circulation, reduce capillary permeability and brittleness.
In addition, depending on which specialist determines the stage of the disease, it will also depend on how the disease will be treated: conservative or radical.
Conservative treatments include:
- Taking medicines;
- the use of external products;
- physiotherapy;
- wearing medical compression stockings.
The use of drugs will stop the damage to the venous bed, control the level of blood viscosity and the formation of blood clots, and will also have an antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory effect. Taking drugs in combination with the use of local remedies will increase the positive effect on the veins. You can use varicose vein pain ointment or cream not only for treatment, but also for prevention. The action will depend on the composition of the product. The components included in it can be both synthetic and natural. Products with a synthetic composition are used not only to eliminate swelling, fatigue and pain, but also to recover from vein surgery. Varicose veins in their initial stages, during pregnancy or at risk can be resisted using products of natural composition. Its effectiveness is directly related to the natural active ingredients included in the composition. The foot cream with extracts of chestnut, green tea and ginkgo biloba has a venotonic effect, which will help to eliminate pain in the legs with varicose veins. Thanks to the use of this cream, inflammation and pain can be alleviated, in addition to improving the appearance of the skin.
Medical gymnastics will make an important contribution to the improvement of the venous system.
Daily exercise, no more difficult than morning exercises, will help eliminate unpleasant sensations of numbness in the limbs, cramps and a feeling of heaviness. The set of exercises is selected individually, taking into account the possibilities and the situation. At home, the most popular are "Bicycle", "Scissors" and a support on the shoulder blades. In an office setting, sitting at a desk, you can also stretch your legs simply by turning your feet, bending and flexing your toes.
To improve blood circulation, relieve unpleasant symptoms such as swelling and pain, the daily use of compression stockings is recommended. The type of product and the degree of compression are selected taking into account the dynamics of the disease.
Radical therapy includes invasive and minimally invasive methods. Specialists try to turn to them last, in cases where conservative treatment does not help or the situation is assessed as difficult.
Watch your health!