The main signs and symptoms of varicose veins are the appearance of bluish veins that are clearly visible, widened and tortuous. The sufferer may also feel pain, swelling, heaviness and pain in the legs, especially the calves. Until in some cases, there are changes, swelling to ulcers in the wrist.
For most sufferers, varicose veins may be a mild disorder that is only physically disturbing, but these varicose veins can also have the potential to cause pain and discomfort and can even turn into a serious condition, that’s why it’s best to get proper treatment. Varicose veins can be caused by a decrease in the level of elasticity in the walls of the veins (veins), causing the veins to weaken and unable to drain the remaining blood to the heart. And for more details, here we identify what are the causes of varicose veins.
Causes of Varicose Veins
As we already know, there are 2 types of blood vessels in the body, namely veins and arteries. Arteries carry blood from the heart to all body tissues. While veins are the opposite, namely returning blood metabolic waste from the entire body back to the heart. And to be able to return blood from all body tissues back to the heart, the veins in the legs have to work against gravity. Fortunately, this vein is located close to the muscle, so the contractions of the stiff muscles also play a role as a pump to help this vein work to restore blood. Veins have small valves that open when blood travels to the heart and can then close so blood doesn’t come back again.
The following are some of the things that can cause varicose veins to appear that interfere with the normal mechanisms described above, and include:
- Pregnancy. This pregnancy condition increases blood volume, but reduces blood flow from the legs to the pelvic area. This circulation change is designed to be able to support fetal growth, but unfortunately this condition can actually cause unfortunate side effects, namely enlarged blood vessels in the legs. These hormonal changes during pregnancy may also play a good role. However, generally varicose veins that develop during this gestation period will get better by itself even without special medical treatment, to reach this recovery period, usually takes about 3 months.
- Age. As a person gets older and a person gets older, the elasticity of the blood vessels can decrease and even disappear so that it is easy to stretch. In addition, the venous valve can also become weak, so that blood that should move forward toward the heart can reverse flow. Therefore, the pressure on the veins becomes high so that they can stretch and develop varicose veins.
- Menopause, as well as estrogen and progesterone contained in hormonal birth control (such as pills, injections and implants) also have the potential to weaken venous valves and change circulation in the legs which can eventually lead to varicose veins.
How to Get Rid of Varicose Veins
To be able to get rid of varicose veins, there are several ways you can do it yourself, namely in a natural way which you can do at home or according to the doctor’s recommendation. Here are some natural ways you can do it at home.
1. Treatment of Varicose Veins Naturally
Symptoms caused by varicose veins are not only painful, apart from being annoying, varicose veins can also cause cramps, pain and throbbing pain in the ankles accompanied by swelling, these conditions usually get worse in certain conditions such as during hot weather, during menstrual periods or standing too long and much more. Here are some ways to treat varicose veins naturally.
- Reduce Time Sitting Or Standing. Too much sitting or standing is also a factor in the emergence of varicose veins, because the feet, especially the calves, have to carry too much weight. For this reason, when you do a lot of sitting or standing activities, you should alternate standing up for at least half an hour or 40 minutes.
- Avoid Using Heels. Shoes with low heels will provide the calf muscles to work optimally. But for those of you who are required to always use heels in every activity, it’s good to do stretching on your feet frequently at rest.
- Pay attention to body weight and food intake. Obesity or overweight can increase the risk of developing varicose veins. For that, pay attention to your weight and keep it ideal. Also, follow a low-salt diet to prevent swelling as a result of fluid retention.
- Practice. A little exercise will help you avoid the risk of varicose veins, one of the best sports exercises is walking. Walking is a great way to encourage circulation to your legs, but don’t overdo it.
- Elevate your legs. You can do elevating your legs at home while you are relaxing. This is useful for reducing the force of gravity on the leg veins and increasing circulation of the veins so they are not obstructed. Lift your feet while relaxing, try to position your feet higher than the heart.
2. Treatment of Varicose Veins According to Doctor’s Instructions
The doctor’s recommendations for treating varicose veins that occur in the legs are in the following ways:
- Take medications or supplements that can relieve varicose veins.
- Get 100 mg of omega-3 fatty acids / day.
- Take 120 mg of Ginkgo Biloba twice a day.
- Use compression stockings or stockings especially for varicose veins. Stockings that are used for varicose veins therapy function to suppress blood vessels so that the volume of blood vessels is not stuck in the veins. Which if this happens, it cannot be denied that this condition is likely to trigger varicose veins.
Tips: when buying therapeutic stockings for varicose veins, make sure the size fits your feet. For this reason, using a tape measure you or a pharmacist can measure the feet to make sure if the foot size is the same size as the stocking.
If you have gone through several treatments and therapies, but the varicose veins that you are not getting better There are several special treatments that can be applied, such as:
- Through laser surgery
- Vein Stripping
- Ambulatory Phlebectomy
- Sclerotherapy
- Endoscopic vein surgery
Those are some ways to be able to deal with varicose veins, from noble natural methods to severe surgery that you can do according to your ability. That is all and hope it is useful.
