Varicose veins of the lower extremities are a chronic disease, which is expressed in a violation of the mechanism of outflow of blood in the veins. For this reason, the venous walls are under constant pressure, gradually thinning, nodular enlargements are formed on the veins.
As a result of the stagnation of blood in the veins of the lower extremities, varicose veins develop. It is manifested by swelling of the peripheral veins of the legs and their protrusion under the skin. The veins appear sinuous and take on a bluish tinge. There are severe aching pains in the legs.
Varicose disease progresses without treatment, complicated by thrombophlebitis and trophic ulcers. Treatment of varicose veins should be started at the first symptoms to prevent the development of the disease.
First of all, for the treatment of varicose veins in the legs, doctors use conservative methods. If those do not bring results, they resort to surgical treatment.
Physiotherapy treatment
In the treatment of varicose veins on the legs, a significant place is given to methods of physiotherapy. The main ones are the following:
- electrophoresis;
- Lymphatic drainage;
- Hyperbaric oxygenation;
- galvanizing;
- Magnetotherapy;
- Darsonvaluation;
- Exposure to ultraviolet light;
- UHF and others.
The most popular procedure is darsonvalization. It is carried out with a special apparatus that generates weak electrical discharges. Moving it along the legs from the bottom up for 15 minutes for each limb. The course of treatment for varicose veins is about 20 sessions (depending on the degree of development of the disease). As a result, the vascular tone returns to normal, the lymphatic outflow and microcirculation in the legs improve.
Pulse magnetotherapy is performed using a generator of magnetic fields, which induce parasitic electric currents in the tissues of the lower limbs, which have a therapeutic effect. Thanks to this effect, the muscle fibers of the vascular walls of the legs are stimulated and toned. This improves blood circulation in the extremities, reduces swelling and reduces pain. Depending on the degree of development of varicose veins, the session lasts from 10 to 20 minutes.
Pneumatic compression also helps restore the tone of the veins and blood vessels through a kind of massage. A boot-like device is placed on the patient's leg. It is pressurized by the gas supply. However, the method should be discarded for those patients with varicose veins who have a tendency to thrombosis.
Balneotherapy is an effective method of treating varicose veins on the leg, which consists in conducting baths with mineral water. The baths themselves are named local or general. Hydrotherapy is a contrasting local bath. These methods are especially effective in the early stages of the disease. Manifestations of varicose veins to treat these methods at this stage are quite effective.
Oxygenation
In addition to local physiotherapy procedures, others are also performed that affect the entire body as a whole. For example, oxygen from bubble bath improves blood circulation, relieving the symptoms of varicose veins in the legs. Hyperbaric oxygenation is helpful. During the session, the patient inhales pure oxygen at a pressure of more than one and a half hours.
Ozone therapy is related to this method. Inhalation of ozone activates many processes in the patient's body: microcirculation improves, metabolism normalizes and regeneration is accelerated. In therapeutic doses, ozone also prevents thrombus formation, slightly thins the blood. The course of treatment of varicose veins with ozone is 5 - 10 procedures with an interval of 2 days between them.
Physiotherapy is particularly effective in the early and intermediate stages of the disease. Physiotherapeutic procedures should be prescribed by a phlebologist.
Pharmacological treatment
Medicines on how to defeat varicose veins on the legs are of secondary importance. They are the key to the success of the treatment and the high efficiency of the main method. Drugs are prescribed during physiotherapy and other methods of conservative treatment and after surgery.
There are many drugs for the treatment of varicose veins. They can be used in combination or separately. A phlebologist should appoint a suitable one. All drugs can be divided into several groups:
- Phlebotonics;
- anticoagulants;
- decongestants;
- Disaggregants;
- Antioxidants
- Fibrinolytics.
Phlebotonics allow you to increase the tone of the walls of blood vessels and veins and therefore are effective in treating varicose veins on the leg. The walls become stronger and denser. The effect of treatment with other methods is fixed. Blood circulation in the legs improves, lymphatic outflow improves. They are prescribed for preparation for surgery and as rehabilitation after it, relief from inflammation in the vein with varicose veins.
Anticoagulants are drugs that reduce the blood's clotting ability. This prevents the formation of blood clots, which is of great importance for varicose veins in the leg. They can be taken as pills or injections. Taking them without consulting a doctor is dangerous, because they have a side effect - bleeding, which is difficult to stop.
Decongestants can be taken orally as pills or externally as gels and ointments. In the form of tablets, diuretics are mainly used. Such drugs significantly reduce pain in the legs with varicose veins, as well as additional pressure on the walls of the veins. Their use improves blood circulation.
Disaggregants - drugs that also affect blood clotting, however, do not belong to anticoagulants. They stop the clotting process only in the early stages and therefore do not belong to anticoagulants. They do not have a significant effect on general coagulation indicators. When used as an adjunct therapy for varicose veins, they have the same effect as anticoagulants.
Antioxidants act by detoxification. As a result of the restoration of chemical bonds in the cells, the tone of the walls of blood vessels and veins is strengthened. As a result, the cure for varicose veins in the leg is much faster.
Fibrinolytics prevent blood clots from forming. This is due to the destruction of fibrin, which is part of the blood clot. Using a drug from this group allows blood plasminogen (an inactive protein) to take the form of plasmin, which causes the destruction of a blood clot. However, taking this drug does not prevent further thrombosis with varicose veins.
The pharmaceutical company has developed a whole series of drugs that combine the properties of several described groups. Such drugs should be prescribed by a doctor and taken strictly under his supervision. This is due to the fact that they have some side effects.
The use of medications for varicose veins on the legs cannot be the only measure. They are prescribed in conjunction with other treatments.
Laser therapy
This is an effective way to treat varicose veins in the legs. The principle of operation of the laser in this disease lies in its effect on hemoglobin. Hemoglobin absorbs laser light and generates heat in the blood. As a result, the damaged ship is "sealed". The laser also indirectly affects the tone of the walls of blood vessels and veins, because it causes a spasm of these walls. The advantage of such an impact is its accuracy. It affects only some tissues, without affecting the surrounding ones in any way.
After exposure to the laser, the movement of blood through the treated area will stop. The blood supply to this part of the limb will be produced by deeper veins. In the "non-functioning" part of the vessel, connective tissue forms, which will dissolve over time.
The advantage of this method of getting rid of varicose veins is its minimal trauma. Patients feel no discomfort or pain after surgery. In addition, there are other advantages:
- The method does not require skin incisions, unlike surgery. Hence, no scars remain after it. There are also no bruises after the procedure;
- The procedure is short and is performed under local anesthesia. In view of this, it is as safe as possible for health, in contrast to surgical intervention, which is performed under general anesthesia;
- From a financial point of view, laser treatment of varicose veins is similar to surgery. Although it seems more expensive, however, it must be borne in mind that after it the patient does not need to go through a period of rehabilitation and stay long on sick leave, or spend money on recovery.
Many diseases can be treated with lasers. It has become a good alternative to many types of procedures. Minimal trauma, painless and effective - all this makes laser treatment preferable in many situations.
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy is a popular method for treating varicose veins on the legs, sometimes referred to as physiotherapy. Basically, special drugs are injected into the veins. The method is non-traumatic and effective and therefore is popular. This method is sometimes comparable in its effectiveness to laser and even surgical intervention. After such a procedure, the walls of the vessel are glued and strengthened, thanks to which it is possible to defeat the varicose veins of the legs. And the drug is absorbed into the body.
The main advantage of the method of getting rid of the disease is the absence of scars and bruises after the procedure. It is also important that it is not too painful and can be done under local anesthesia. After the procedure, the integrity of the circulatory system is not violated, because the veins are not removed. Such an intervention can be an ideal option both when it is dangerous to use surgical methods - with thrombophlebitis, periplebitis and in the treatment of relapses of the disease, when the veins are fragile and twisted.
The method has a number of contraindications. First of all, this is pregnancy and breastfeeding. Serious diseases of the cardiovascular system, diabetes mellitus, chronic diseases of the liver and kidneys, allergies - all this will also become a contraindication to the use of sclerotherapy, it is better to think about how to treat varicose veins of the legs differently.
If the doctor prescribes sclerotherapy, then he should be informed of possible contraindications. When a patient has chronic diseases of any nature, the possibility of using sclerotherapy remains questionable.
Surgery
Surgery is a traumatic and painful way to effectively treat severe varicose veins in the legs. However, only its efficiency reaches 100%. Plus, it sometimes takes a lot less time than any other. Of the minuses, large scars and scars can be named, a long rehabilitation period. There are several types of surgery:
- Stripping involves removing a section of a vein with a thin probe. It is injected at the beginning of the vein and withdrawn at the end. In this case, the area fixed on the probe turns upside down, so to speak, and it becomes easy to remove it;
- Phlebectomy is a traditional surgical method for treating varicose veins, which involves cutting the tissue with a scalpel. It is performed both when minimally invasive surgery is impossible, for example when significant areas are involved or severe inflammation is present, and for other indications;
- Microflebectomy is considered a minimally invasive procedure. Helps to effectively treat varicose veins. For the type of execution, it is similar to the previous method, only the incisions in the skin are very small. Hence, it is less traumatic. It can be done when the injury is not as severe and a large section of the vein does not need to be removed.
This method has a number of indications and contraindications. Hence, pregnant women and those who have recently given birth cannot be hindered. After giving birth, you need to wait at least a month and a half. Even in the early stages of varicose veins, you shouldn't use this method.
Surgical intervention is not a guarantee of the absence of recurrence of varicose veins on the leg. You should be careful about your health.
Many methods on how to cure varicose veins on the legs allow the doctor to choose the best one for each specific case. However, the more the disease has begun, the more radical method will have to be chosen. Therefore, you should not delay contacting a doctor if you notice the first symptoms of varicose veins on the leg.