Varicosis is a pathological condition in which the veins, usually those in the legs, swell and dilate, taking on a bluish or dark purple color. The veins may also appear lumpy, swollen, or twisted. This usually occurs when the small valves within them stop working properly and blood stagnates. If you have this condition, you may experience symptoms such as pain in the legs, swollen feet, ankles and muscle cramps in the lower limbs.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Changing Your Lifestyle
Step 1. Avoid standing or sitting for long periods of time
Keeping your legs in the same position for too long reduces circulation, favoring a buildup of blood in the veins. Try to change the position of your legs often, so as to facilitate the circulation of blood flow.
Change position approximately every 30 minutes. Take a walk around the office or, if that's not possible, stretch and raise both your arms and legs every 30 minutes
Step 2. Keep your legs elevated and don't cross them when you sit down
If you can lift them when sitting and avoid crossing them, you reduce the pressure in your veins.
Rest your feet on a stool or other chair when you can to facilitate blood circulation. Occasionally try to bring your feet higher than your heart
Step 3. Sleep on your back with your legs raised
This is also a method that helps blood circulation; Remember that lifting your lower limbs when lying down is just as important as lifting them when sitting.
Step 4. Choose low-heeled shoes and comfortable clothes
If you usually wear high-heeled shoes or tight-fitting clothes, normal blood flow in your veins runs into some obstacles. With flat shoes, on the other hand, the calf muscles are stressed to work harder during walking, thus facilitating proper blood circulation in the legs.
Above all, you should avoid wearing too tight clothing that blocks circulation in the area of the waist, legs and groin. Opt for clothes that are comfortable or that don't tighten these areas too much
Step 5. Get regular physical activity
Try to incorporate some light training into your daily routine to improve both circulation and muscle tone in your lower limbs. Constant exercise also helps you lose weight if needed. If you are overweight or obese, you need to lose weight to reduce pressure on your legs and minimize varicose veins.
- Short walks or half-hour runs around the neighborhood are enough to greatly improve general circulation, especially in the legs.
- Concentrate your efforts on cardiovascular exercises, which help the blood flow correctly in the body, and on specific strength training for the legs, so as to strengthen muscle tone and mass.
Step 6. Do restorative yoga poses
It is a type of yoga that uses various tools to support the body, such as walls, bricks or roll cushions. During this practice the muscles should not be stressed and its purpose is to release any type of stress or muscle tension. The position of the legs against the wall is great for circulation and blood flow, because it reduces the risk of varicose veins. Find a quiet area and lean the yoga mat against the wall. Also get a roll pillow or several rolled towels to keep next to the mat when performing these positions.
- If you suffer from muscle stiffness, the pillow or support should be placed under the lower back, just above the tailbone, at some distance from the wall. If you have a lot of flexibility, the support should be closer to the wall. The distance from the wall depends on your height: if you are low enough you must be closer to the wall; otherwise, if you are very tall, move away a little further.
- Start by placing the support 13-15 cm from the wall. Positioned sideways, on the right end of the roller cushion, exhale and bring your legs towards the wall. Keep your shoulders and head flat on the floor. The bones of the pelvis should not be close to the wall, but a few centimeters apart. The pillow should be at a higher or lower point under your back, depending on your flexibility.
- Bend your knees, press your feet to the wall and lift your pelvis off the pillow a few inches. At this point, bring the roller higher, between the pelvis and the lumbar area; now return your pelvis to the support and stretch your legs so that they are stretched against the wall.
- Hold them steady, applying just enough pressure to hold them vertically in place. Relax the skull at the base of the nape and open the shoulder blades away from the spine. Place your hands and arms at your sides, palms facing up.
- Stay in this position for 5-15 minutes. You should feel blood flowing from the legs to the hip area. This is a sign that blood flow is starting to reverse and return to the upper body.
- Do not twist the pillow when you come out of the position. Slide it along the floor and then bend your knees. Turn onto your side and assume the fetal position, with your knees bent and your head close to them, for a few breaths.
Step 7. Maintain a balanced diet
A balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables helps reduce sodium levels and instead increase the amount of fiber, thereby stabilizing blood pressure so that the veins are less compressed.
A low-sodium diet helps reduce leg swelling caused by fluid retention. You also need to try to eat high-fiber foods, such as whole grains and quinoa. Bioflavonoids found in dark berries, green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach, garlic and onions also contribute to the health of your veins
Step 8. Stop smoking and reduce your alcohol consumption
Both raise blood pressure, so eliminating them completely or limiting their consumption can help reduce the problem of varicose veins.
- Alcohol is a vasodilator so it can aggravate your condition; a drink every now and then doesn't hurt, but avoid drinking too much.
- Smoking has been directly related to blood pressure, so you should quit smoking completely if you want to get rid of varicose veins.
Method 2 of 3: Drugs and Surgical Procedures
Step 1. Put on the graduated compression stockings
These elastic stockings apply therapeutic pressure to the veins of the legs, relieving pain and temporarily keeping varicose veins under control; in general, they are tighter in the ankle area and gradually loosen up on the legs. This aspect favors the circulation of blood towards the heart. However, this aid does not automatically guarantee that varicose veins will not get worse or that new ones will not form.
- Graduated compression stockings are available in different sizes and with different compression capacities. Most people who suffer from varicose veins typically buy class 1 (light compression) or class 2 (medium compression). You can also find them in different colors, lengths (knee or thigh) and also in different styles for the foot area (covering the whole foot or with the open toe).
- You can buy these socks in pharmacies, orthopedics stores or even online directly from the manufacturers. Your doctor will be able to prescribe the ones that are best for you, based on the severity of your varicose veins.
- Since graduated compression stockings improve circulation in the legs, you will probably have to wear them all day to see significant results; be aware that they usually warm your legs and can make them sweat, so they will need to be replaced every 3 to 6 months.
Step 2. Talk to your doctor about sclerotherapy
This is a type of injection that closes the varicose veins and makes them less visible.
- During the procedure, the doctor uses a needle to inject a specific chemical into the veins that swells and stiffens the vascular walls, causing them to close. In this way the blood flow is completely blocked and eventually the veins become simple scars that fade from sight.
- Anesthesia is not required for this surgery, but several surgeries on the same vein may be required. Treatment usually needs to be repeated every 4 to 6 months.
- Another form of this therapy is called microsclerotherapy and is usually done for spider veins or other small varicose veins.
Step 3. Evaluate the laser surface treatment
This technique is typically used for smaller veins. A powerful laser light is aimed directly at the varicose vein with short pulses, causing it to disappear. The procedure is usually not effective for veins larger than 3mm.
- The treatment lasts about 15-20 minutes and it may take 2 to 5 sessions before you are able to get rid of the varicose veins.
- No chemicals are used and there are no engravings; however, the laser can cause pain.
Step 4. Learn about intravenous thermal ablation
For this treatment, a laser or radio waves are used which damage the vein with strong heat. The vein then heals and dissolves on sight. This method is usually used for larger varicose veins, called saphenous veins.
- The doctor will insert a catheter or small tube into the diseased veins through which he will insert a small probe. Radio waves or lasers are emitted from the tip of the probe and close the vein.
- Healthy veins surrounding the closed one will replace it to ensure blood outflow. Surface varices that are connected to the diseased varicose usually close quickly after treatment.
Step 5. Ask the surgeon for more details regarding ligation and stripping
During this procedure, the diseased veins are knotted and closed and then removed from the leg through a small incision.
- This surgical solution was very popular in the past, but is currently only used for those patients who cannot undergo thermal ablation.
- You will undergo anesthesia and the procedure will take place in the operating room.
- After removal, the deeper veins will replace the diseased ones that were removed during the surgery, so blood flow will not be affected.
Step 6. Evaluate the stripping PIN
This treatment involves the total removal of the problematic vein, but in this case a tool called a PIN stripper is used.
- The doctor sutures the tip of the instrument at the end of the vein so that by removing the PIN stripper, the vein will also be extracted.
- This procedure is performed under general or local anesthesia, in some cases even in day-hospital.
Step 7. Consider outpatient phlebectomy
In this case, the surgeon makes small incisions to remove the superficial varices.
- Small hooks are inserted through minimal skin incisions; the vein is extracted from these cuts.
- Your leg will be anesthetized, but you will not sleep during the treatment.
Step 8. Learn about endoscopic surgery
The surgeon inserts an endoscope into the vein and uses it to close it from the inside.
- This treatment is usually used in cases of varicose veins accompanied by skin ulcers.
- The doctor will make a small incision in the skin near the varice. The endoscope (a small camera connected to a tube) is inserted into the vein and slid into it. The instrument is equipped with a device that seals the vein.
Method 3 of 3: Home Remedies
Step 1. Be wary of home remedies to cure varicose veins
They may lead you to think that these are "one-time", "definitive" or "painless" solutions to your problem, but no one will be able to prove the truth of these claims. Always talk to your doctor about possible health risks before you think about relying on these remedies.
Some may interfere with the medications you're taking, so it's important to ask your doctor if these workarounds are safe
Step 2. Try horse chestnut supplements
The extract of this plant is an effective remedy for chronic venous insufficiency, a disease associated with varicose veins that occurs when the veins in the legs are unable to restore blood flow to the heart. It also relieves swelling and discomfort caused by varicose veins.
- Do not take this supplement if you have liver or kidney disease, if you are being treated with blood thinners or to manage diabetes and never take more than the recommended dose. If you are allergic to latex be careful, because you are probably also to horse chestnut.
- Talk to your doctor before taking the seed extract of this plant and ask if they can refer you to certified manufacturers of this supplement.
Step 3. Apply apple cider vinegar
Although there is little scientific evidence to prove its effectiveness, it is still a very popular remedy. Topical application of this vinegar is believed to reduce the size of varicose veins.
- Dip a small cloth or cotton ball in some apple cider vinegar and rub it on the affected veins or wrap a soaked cloth around the leg.
- Leave it on the skin for 30 minutes for best results.
