Prevent varicose veins in the legs

When the first signs of stretching of the vessel walls are detected, it is necessary to start preventing varicose veins in the legs. If treatment is neglected, the disease will continue to develop, leading to serious complications. Lifestyle changes are essential to prevent the development of varicose veins. The patient must balance daily life, adjust the wardrobe and nutrition system. We will further tell you all the ways to prevent varicose veins.

Causes of varicose veins

Preventing varicose veins affects everyone, because everyone faces the negative factors that lead to the development of the disease. The first of these is lack of physical activity. Most modern people spend 80% of their time in the office. Sitting in a sitting position will adversely affect the work of muscle organs. Therefore, people who are considering how to protect their legs from varicose veins have to incorporate daily gymnastics into their schedules. The reasons for the development of the disease include:

  • Abuse of fats and sweets;
  • Significantly overweight;
  • Serious injury to the leg;
  • bad habits;
  • Taking hormone drugs;
  • The legs are overloaded.

Before you start to prevent varicose veins in your legs, you should determine your risk of developing the disease. Certain groups of people are most likely to develop this disease. They need to see a phlebologist 1-2 times a year to prevent varicose veins.

Bad habits are the cause of varicose veins

The most vulnerable

To prevent varicose veins, first determine whether you have a tendency to develop this pathology. Only a phlebologist can answer this question accurately after assessing the condition of the vein, but you can try to classify yourself. The following people are at high risk of developing varicose veins:

  • Have a genetic predisposition for vascular diseases;
  • Women who have given birth and become pregnant;
  • People who do heavy physical work and stand almost all day;
  • Women who often walk in high heels;
  • People who like spicy and salty food;
  • Alcoholics;
  • People who like to take a hot bath, go to the sauna;
  • Women suffering from hormonal imbalance;
  • People with increased swelling of the legs.

How to prevent varicose veins

How to avoid varicose veins 100%, the doctor is not sure, tk. There is no such way. You can follow all the doctor's recommendations, but still face this disease. On the other hand, the implementation of preventive measures contributes to the normalization of body functions and blood flow, thereby significantly slowing down the development of the disease. The most effective way to prevent the progression of varicose veins is:

  • physical education;
  • Wear comfortable shoes;
  • Balanced diet;
  • Weight normalization;
  • gymnastics;
  • Wearing compression stockings;
  • Perform a foot massage;
  • Choose more normal working conditions.

Of course, not all suggestions can be put into practice immediately, but everyone can eat less high-fat foods and exercise for 20 minutes a day. Don't be too enthusiastic about disease prevention, because seeking to improve the state of blood vessels may cause serious harm to yourself.

Gymnastics to prevent varicose veins

Medium activity

Using free weight training and very strenuous physical activity will not help fight varicose veins. On the contrary, they can cause damage to the valve and stretching of the blood vessel wall. Preventing varicose veins involves performing specialized exercises to normalize blood flow. The course should be carried out at a strong speed and not make you feel painful. Exercise methods to prevent varicose veins include:

  • Water aerobic exercise and swimming;
  • Race walking
  • Easy to run;
  • stretch.

Quality shoes

To prevent varicose veins, many doctors recommend wearing orthopedic insoles. They help distribute the load evenly when walking. An important aspect is the shoes themselves. In order to prevent varicose veins on the legs at home, you can wear sports shoes with instep support. The type of insole and the height of elevation must be selected by the doctor. The footwear purchased must meet the following characteristics:

  1. The height of the flat sole and heel should not exceed 6 cm.
  2. Sit on your lap. Loose shoes on the feet increase the possibility of ankle injury, and pressure can lead to poor blood circulation.
  3. The sole/heel must be stable. Even summer shoes must have a non-slip coating.
Comfortable and uncomfortable shoes to prevent varicose veins

Suitable job

When it comes to preventing varicose veins in the legs, doctors recommend normal work and rest. For many patients, this is due to changes in work or profession. Not everyone agrees to take such radical steps, but if you are currently employed, then when choosing a new job, try to consider the following suggestions:

  1. Work should not be associated with heavy physical labor.
  2. You cannot stay in one location for 7-8 hours. Look for companies that allow employees to wake up every 2-3 hours and allow light warm-ups.
Warm up at work to prevent varicose veins

Generally speaking, any job can be adapted by warming up every hour. If you don't want to change the field of activity or profession, then you can simply engage in physical education in the workplace. The main reason is that the blood in the lower leg is not allowed to increase due to the immobility of the calf.

Proper nutrition

If you have ideas on how to avoid varicose veins in your legs, then please pay attention to your diet. People who abuse fatty, salty, and very sweet foods are more likely to develop this disease because they are more likely to develop high cholesterol and overweight. In order to normalize intestinal function, you need to eat a lot of vegetables that contain fiber. If you have hardly eaten raw carrots or cabbage so far, you should not eat them in kilograms right away. Eating 300 grams of such vegetables a day is enough.

People who are prone to varicose veins need to pay attention to maintaining water balance. You should drink at least 1. 5 liters of clean water every day. Juice, soup, and tea are not included in this specification. They are perceived by the body as food, so they are quickly excreted by the kidneys and intestines. It is not advisable to use non-carbonated water. If you are prone to varicose veins, you must exclude carbonated drinks and sugary drinks. Similar rules apply to beverages with high caffeine content.

Weight normalization

Maintaining a normal body mass index is important to prevent varicose veins. Simple physics works here. The heavier a person's weight, the greater the pressure on the blood vessels. Of course, it is necessary to compare weight and muscle mass, height with one's own physical fitness. Under the same height, the weight difference between mesoderm and ectoderm can reach 15 kg.

Weight control to prevent varicose veins

If you think you have more fat in your body than muscle, then reduce the calories in your daily diet. This method will enable you to lose weight without having a strong craving for food. If you completely change your diet, it will cause the body to collapse and regain weight. In order to reduce the calories in your daily diet, you should introduce more vegetables that contain fiber. They not only help you lose weight, but also help normalize digestion.

Reject bad habits

Prevent leg varicose veins from affecting all aspects of human life. Bad habits are also on this list. The tendency to smoke, drink, and overeating has a damaging effect on blood vessels. This also includes constant pressure conditions. Although it is relatively easy to deal with overeating, a strong addiction to alcohol and smoking requires medical attention. Hobbies or group therapy sessions can help relieve stress.

Unloading gymnastics

In order to prevent varicose veins in the legs, it is necessary to perform exercises that help relieve excessive muscle tension in the lower extremities. The maximum duration of this type of exercise is 5-10 minutes. The doctor recommends to do it at least once a day, but it is best to do it twice a day. The following sports activities are considered useful:

  • Exercise bike. Lie on a sturdy surface, raise your legs, and begin to perform actions similar to riding a bicycle. If you can't immediately interact with your legs one by one, then pull them onto your body in turns.
  • Exercise bike for preventing varicose veins
  • Flexion/extension of the foot. The exercises are carried out in a sitting position. Each foot needs to do 20 movements.
  • Bend and stretch legs to prevent varicose veins
  • Roll from heel to toe. If a person sits for a long time, they will promote the spread of blood well.
  • Rolling exercise to prevent varicose veins
  • Lift your toes. First, perform the movement with both legs at the same time, and then alternately. At the highest point, you should stay for 10-15 seconds and then lower to the starting position.
  • Toe exercises to prevent varicose veins

Foot massage

If you are not sure how to prevent varicose veins in your legs, try a gentle massage. On its own, the reflex effect on the skin and blood vessels has a tonic effect on the entire body. Due to the short operation, the flow of blood and lymph fluid increases, and the nutrition of the epithelium is normalized. Foot massage can be performed independently or entrusted to an expert. Because of the susceptibility to varicose veins, pressing and squeezing actions should be avoided during the operation. Self-massage is carried out like this:

  1. The patient should sit on the floor or on the bed/sofa and bend their knees slightly.
  2. The rubbing should be done from the toes to the calves.
  3. The feet should wrap around the toes, with the thumb on the back of the foot and the rest on the inside.
  4. The part wrapped around the hand should be gently squeezed and slowly moved towards the upper part of the leg.
  5. The side of the heel needs to be wrapped around the sides with your fingers, and then squeezed for a few seconds. Next, you need to move up from the Achilles tendon to the knee.
  6. The process ends with stroking the feet.
Self-massage the legs to prevent varicose veins

Compression garment

The means to prevent varicose veins are different. Compression therapy is also one of them. If you want, you can participate in special physiotherapy procedures and use special equipment for pressure shock, but it is easier to buy medical stockings and tights.

Compression socks should be selected individually. If there is no tendency, it is sufficient to wear underwear with an initial degree of compression. If you have symptoms of varicose veins, then the doctor must deal with the choice of jersey. The recommendations for choosing medical linen are as follows:

  1. It should be very comfortable. If you feel uncomfortable the first time you try it on, then this underwear is not for you.
  2. The compression level should be in accordance with the doctor's recommendation. If you are told to wear first-level elastic socks, then you cannot buy zero-level knee-length socks.
  3. The product must be of high quality. It is best to buy compression stockings in specialty stores, rather than in the market or any sales office, because the probability of encountering fakes is high, and it will elongate over time and no longer have a therapeutic effect on the legs.

other suggestion

Measures to prevent varicose veins include the use of special topical cosmetics (gels, creams, etc. ). They cool the surface of the legs, which helps the natural contraction of blood vessels. People who are prone to leg varicose veins need to avoid overloading the muscles of the lower extremities. Hygiene is very important to prevent the occurrence of diseases. It is recommended not only to clean the skin of the legs, but also to take a contrast shower. It also has a local stimulating effect on blood vessels and can improve skin tone.

How to stop varicose veins

The prevention and treatment of varicose veins are closely related. With the help of drugs and alternative therapies, the spread of diseases can be prevented at an early stage, but for rapidly progressing diseases, only surgery can help. The phlebologist should develop a treatment plan for patients with varicose veins. It is impossible to independently choose drugs and engage in any Eastern practice. Any rash behavior will worsen the blood vessel condition.

medical treatement

Drugs can prevent the development of varicose veins in the initial stage. Usually, the disease begins to form because the blood vessels do not have enough nutrients to maintain the elasticity of the walls. In this case, increased blood accumulation in the limbs is often observed. Venotonics / phlebotonics-medicine to improve the flow of fluid from the legs. They also help restore blood vessel walls. they are:

  • nature;
  • merge;
  • Synthetic;
  • Based on rutin.

The blood viscosity is high and the patient is taking heparin medication. They help improve blood flow, but are contraindicated in people with bleeding tendency.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can help relieve the pain of the second stage of varicose veins. They also help relieve the itching and burning sensations that usually accompany this disease. External medicine promotes skin healing. The duration of drug use should be determined by the doctor, but the standard course of treatment is usually 6-8 months, so you should not expect that all symptoms of the disease will disappear within 2 weeks after using the drug.

Traditional therapy

In the initial stage, this disease is not considered life-threatening, but it should not be allowed to drift. Sclerotherapy is a traditional minimally invasive method that prevents the further development of varicose veins. It can be used to remove stars and small containers. Traditional treatments include:

  • Echo sclerotherapy;
  • Micro sclerotherapy;
  • Thermal solidification
  • Electromagnetic therapy
  • darsonvalization;
  • Electrical stimulation
  • Manual lymphatic drainage;
  • Use leg elastic compression;
  • Spa;
  • Balneotherapy
  • Compression therapy.

All these technologies help prevent the further development of the disease. They activate the natural process of vascular regeneration.

Unconventional methods

You can improve the condition of your legs with the help of mud therapy. The patient must remember that the wrap can only be cold. Heating veins with varicose veins is very harmful to the body. Ayurveda helps to get rid of the chronic stress that causes the blood vessels to stretch. This is one of the varieties of alternative medicine based on the Indian philosophical system. Various plants are used as medicine there. Unconventional methods of treating varicose veins include:

  • Yoga;
  • Homeopathy;
  • natural treatment;
  • Tibetan gymnastics.

Surgery

For varicose veins of the lower extremities, the most effective way to normalize blood flow is specialized surgery. The characteristic of the perfect surgical treatment of the disease is minimally invasive and the patient quickly resumes normal life activities. They allow you to get rid of the affected veins completely, thereby slowing down the development of the disease. Modern surgical treatments for varicose veins include:

  • Short stripping
  • Video endoscopic surgery;
  • Microvascular resection;
  • Laser coagulation
  • Phlebectomy;
  • Safe resection.

These methods are most commonly used to treat varicose veins. The method of surgical removal of blood vessels is chosen by the doctor according to the size and general condition of the vein. Sometimes only a part of the blood vessel needs to be cut, and sometimes it is necessary to completely eliminate it and create an alternative channel for blood flow.

Folk method

Folk remedies for improving the condition of veins are divided into external use and internal use. If you are not sure that the cause of varicose veins is the excessive number of platelets, you should postpone the use of various tinctures because they contain botanical decoctions that help thin the blood. Effective external medication for varicose veins:

  • Acerola salt bath. Add 300 grams of dry matter to hot water and soak there. If pine salt is not sold in your area, you can use baking soda instead. It is recommended to take such a bath 2-3 times a week.
  • Compressed apple cider vinegar. The product is diluted with water at a ratio of 1: 1 and then applied to the skin. Wrap the leg with a bandage from above, then secure everything with plastic wrap. You can simply apply apple cider vinegar 2-3 times a day. It stimulates the veins.
  • Compressed articles for the prevention of varicose veins
  • Rub with horse chestnut. Ready-made tinctures based on this plant can be purchased in pharmacies or you can prepare them yourself. In the latter case, you will need a kernel with plant skin. Pour 400 grams of dry product into 1. 5 liters of vodka, and then soak in the dark for a week. After the tincture was prepared, they began to wipe the legs damaged by varicose veins.
  • Horse chestnut prevents varicose veins

Preventive forecast

Among women who are less susceptible to this disease, this happens in only 5% of cases in the process of preventing varicose veins in the legs. The disease is mild and can be treated quickly. Due to the moderate propensity for the disease, the disease occurs in 30% of patients. More commonly, it is a mild to moderate disease. With a clear tendency for varicose veins, the disease rapidly progresses to an average form. Without prevention, the disease will quickly become serious, which makes further treatment very complicated.

Population clinical examination

All citizens can receive free medical examinations. Generally speaking, not all physical examinations are important, but just to see the results of the surgeon and general blood tests. The surgeon may notice the initial changes in the blood vessels and then refer you to a phlebologist. In addition, if platelets dominate the printout of a general blood test, you should be careful, you need to see a phlebologist. This may indicate blood clot formation.

How to avoid varicose veins during pregnancy

In the process of holding a baby, the load on the female internal organs will greatly increase. During pregnancy, the risk of varicose veins in the legs, small pelvis, and external genitalia increases. Especially in the second and third trimesters, when the fetus starts to grow actively, the risk will increase. The phlebologist can tell you in detail how to prevent varicose veins in the legs of pregnant women. All preventive measures should be started after consultation with him. The doctor recommends that women be in the following positions:

  • Wear comfortable low-heeled shoes (completely flat soles are also harmful);
  • Try not to drink too much liquid;
  • Perform water aerobic exercise for pregnant women;
  • I position my legs more often during the day;
  • Wear compression and support sweatshirts.

Why disease prevention is important

It is much easier to consider how to prevent varicose veins in the legs than it is to treat an already established disease. Many people with this disease have a genetic predisposition to develop it. The main goal of preventive measures is to maintain the normal state of the ship. This can be done in different ways. All preventive measures can be divided into two types:

  • Targeting people with genetic predispositions to diseases or facing unfavorable working conditions;
  • It is suitable for patients with varicose veins at any stage.

About 80% of phlebologists believe that preventing disease is much easier than curing disease, so all conscientious citizens should spend at least 10-20 minutes every day taking care of their feet.