Physical pain is an unpleasant, multifaceted sensation. The presence of a pain factor signals that there is a problem in the body. By locating and describing the type of pain the patient is experiencing, the specialist will be able to identify its origin and cause. If varicose veins are suspected, general clinical studies (blood, urine) and possibly instrumental tests will be required for accurate differentiation of the problem.
But in order to independently determine the presence of a problem and take it with you to a specialist, it is important to highlight it against the background of the usual fatigue or malaise. What kind of pain does a person with varicose veins feel? What is their specificity? And what treatment is possible in this case? You will find the 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 severe discomfort. How severe are leg pains with varicose veins? Of course, there are differences in individual sensitivity thresholds, but the intensity of most pain syndromes is due to the peculiarities of the actual pathological 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 have a sudden, aching and throbbing character.
As a rule, the pain syndrome is felt less or more sharply, depending on the position in which the body is located, whether it is burdened with any load at the moment or not. Pain also has a feature such as time addiction. This means that with the arrival of a certain time of day, the pain syndrome begins to intensify. Thus, severe pain with varicose veins occurs starting from the second half of the day. Varicose veins of the uterus and varicose veins of the small pelvis, in which severe aching pains are 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, calf muscle and popliteal cavity. The person experiences the most acute unpleasant sensations in the area of neurovascular formations. In the area where the vascular bundle is most superficially, edema of the legs may also occur. This is another sign that varicose veins are progressing, and there is already a violation of the lymphatic outflow. Does swelling make leg pain worse? Of course yes. Swelling, formed as a result of disturbances in the venous system of the lower extremities, is characterized by compaction on 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 avoid this, it is important to know the provoking factors of this vascular disease and its exact symptoms.
The presence of even one of the following symptoms should alert you and prompt you to see a doctor:
- a feeling of heaviness in the legs and a feeling of muscle weakness;
- tingling and burning along the veins;
- feeling of internal pressure or "bloating";
- the appearance of telangiectasias and an increase in the venous pattern;
- swelling of deformed veins;
- trophic changes in the skin;
- long non-healing wounds on the legs;
- edematous phenomena;
- numbness of the lower limbs;
- muscle cramps in the legs;
- pain syndrome.
No disease manifests itself. There are certainly factors that can be defined as provocative. Varicose veins are no exception, so its appearance can be caused by:
- hereditary predisposition;
- congenital weakness of the connective tissue and vascular walls;
- inactive lifestyle and static sports;
- excessive physical activity;
- forced standing or sitting for a long time (for example, at work);
- inadequate nutrition and overweight;
- the presence of bad habits;
- pregnancy and childbirth;
- hormonal imbalance;
- soft tissue injuries;
- Surgical intervention;
- liver disease.
Based on the presence of these factors in a person, he is 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 you start to feel pain in your legs? How and how to relieve or reduce leg pain with varicose veins? How to help yourself relieve the symptoms of varicose veins 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 diseases, is it worth understanding 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 stretch and deform, 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 the pathology begin to appear?
The first thing to do when something hurts is to see a doctor.
If, after a series of manipulations, a specialist finds that the pain is caused by varicose veins, the appropriate treatment will be selected. He will help 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 any disease, in the first place is the recommendation to change the lifestyle. It is simply impossible to be a healthy person with a passive lifestyle, bad habits, imbalances in the daily routine and an improper diet. 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 in the mode of work and rest. Labor should not be associated with excessive physical and mental stress. Rest should include a complete and healthy night's sleep. Free time should be spent actively: being outdoors and playing sports. The latter include swimming, walking, aerobics. Any physical activity class that is not effective and not overloaded.
Expert opinion
In order for the venous walls to be strong and elastic, it is important to eat right. 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 built is balance. The diet should include foods enriched with vitamins, fiber, plant fiber, flavonoids, etc. It is useful to eat lean meat of chicken or beef, as well as lean white fish, berries and fruits with vitamin C, dried fruits (raisins, dates), almost all vegetables, nuts and legumes, cereals, as well as natural non-carbonated drinks. It is necessary to exclude fried, salty, smoked and spicy.
If, for any reason, an additional source of nutrients is needed, 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 its composition. Taking this remedy, you can strengthen and cleanse the walls of venous vessels, improve blood circulation, reduce permeability and fragility of capillaries.
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 medications;
- 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 also have an antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory effect. Taking medications in combination with the use of local remedies will increase the positive effect on the veins. You can use ointment or cream for pain with varicose veins 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 venous surgery. Varicose veins in its early stages, during pregnancy or at risk can be countered by using products with a natural composition. Their effectiveness is directly related to the natural active ingredients included in the composition. Foot cream with extracts of chestnut, green tea and ginkgo biloba has a venotonic effect, which will help eliminate pain in the legs with varicose veins. Thanks to the use of this cream, you can relieve inflammation and pain, as well as improve the appearance of the skin.
Medical gymnastics will make an important contribution to improving the venous system.
Daily exercise, no more difficult than morning exercises, will help remove the unpleasant sensations of numbness in the limbs, cramps and feelings 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 by simply rotating your feet, bending and straightening your toes.
To improve blood circulation, relieve unpleasant symptoms such as swelling and pain, it is recommended to wear compression stockings daily. The type of product and the degree of its compression are selected taking into account the dynamics of the disease.
Radical therapy includes invasive and minimally invasive methods. Specialists try to resort to them last, in cases where conservative treatment does not help or the situation is assessed as difficult.
Take care of your health!