Prevention of varicose veins in the legs

It is necessary to begin the prevention of varicose veins in the legs when the first signs of stretching of the vascular wall are detected. If therapy is neglected, the disease will continue to progress, leading to serious complications. Lifestyle changes are important in preventing the development of varicose veins. The patient must balance his daily routine, check his wardrobe and nutritional system. We will tell you about all the methods of preventing varicose veins in more detail.

Causes of varicose veins

Prevention of varicose veins affects everyone, because everyone is exposed to negative factors that trigger the development of the disease. In the first place among them is physical inactivity. Most modern people spend 80% of their time in the office. Being in a sitting position adversely affects the work of the muscular apparatus. Therefore, people who are thinking about how to protect their feet from varicose veins are obliged to introduce daily gymnastics into their schedule. Causes of disease development include:

  • abuse of fatty and sweet foods;
  • significant overweight;
  • serious leg injuries;
  • bad habits;
  • taking hormone medications;
  • excessive load on the legs.

Before you start preventing varicose veins in your legs, you should determine the level of your risk of getting the disease. There are certain groups of people who are most likely to suffer from this disease. They need to visit a phlebologist 1-2 times a year to avoid the appearance of varicose veins.

bad habits as a reason for the development of varicose veins

The most vulnerable group of people

Prevention of varicose veins begins with determining whether you are a person who has a tendency to develop this pathology or not. Only a phlebologist can answer this question accurately after assessing the condition of the veins, but you yourself can try to classify yourself. The following people are at high risk of getting varicose veins:

  • with a hereditary predisposition to vascular disease;
  • women who have given birth and are pregnant;
  • people who engage in heavy physical labor and stand on their feet most of the day;
  • women who always walk in high heels;
  • lovers of spicy and overly salty foods;
  • alcohol abusers;
  • people who like to take a very hot bath, go to the sauna;
  • women with dyshormonal disorders;
  • people with increased leg swelling.

How to prevent varicose veins

How to prevent varicose veins by 100%, doctors will not be able to tell, tk. there is no such way. You can follow all the recommendations of the doctor, but still face the disease. On the other hand, the implementation of preventive measures contributes to the normalization of bodily functions and blood flow, which significantly slows the progression of the disease. The most effective ways to prevent the development of varicose veins are:

  • physical education;
  • wear comfortable shoes;
  • balanced diet;
  • weight normalization;
  • gymnastics;
  • wear compression socks;
  • perform foot massage;
  • work options with more normal working conditions.

Of course, not all recommendations can be implemented immediately in practice, but everyone can eat less fatty foods and exercise for 20 minutes a day. Don’t be too fanatical about disease prevention, because in an effort to improve the condition of blood vessels, you can seriously endanger yourself.

gymnastics for the prevention of varicose veins

Simple activity

Working with free weights and very intense physical activity will not be able to help in fighting varicose veins. Instead, they trigger valve destruction and stretching of the vascular wall. Prevention of varicose veins involves doing specific exercises that normalize blood flow. Classes should be held at a strong pace and not make you in pain. Sports methods for the prevention of varicose veins include:

  • aquatic aerobics and swimming;
  • walking racing;
  • easy walking;
  • stretches.

Quality shoes

To prevent varicose veins, many doctors recommend wearing an orthopedic insole. They contribute to an even load distribution when walking. An important aspect is the shoe itself. To prevent varicose veins on the legs at home, you can wear shoes with instep support. The type of insole and the height of the rise must be chosen by the doctor. Shoes purchased must meet the following characteristics:

  1. Do not have flat soles and heels that are more than 6 cm high.
  2. Sit well on your feet. Loose shoes on your feet increase the chances you will injure your ankle, and pressing down will cause poor circulation.
  3. The sole/heel must be stable. Even summer shoes must have an anti-slip coating.
comfortable and uncomfortable shoes for the prevention of varicose veins

Appropriate work

When it comes to the prevention of varicose veins in the legs, doctors recommend normalizing work and rest. For most patients, this is due to a change in occupation or specialization. Not everyone agrees to take such a radical step, but if you are currently engaged in a job, then when choosing a new job, try to take into account the following suggestions:

  1. Work should not be associated with heavy physical work.
  2. You cannot stay in one position for 7-8 hours. Find a company where employees are allowed to get up every 2-3 hours and are allowed to do light warm-ups.
warming up at work to prevent varicose veins

In general, any work can be done in accordance with doing an hourly warm -up. If you do not want to change areas of activity or expertise, then you can engage in physical education in the workplace. The main thing is not to allow an increase in blood in the lower part of the leg, due to the immobility of the lower leg.

Proper nutrition

If you have thoughts on how to prevent varicose veins on your legs, then pay attention to your diet. People who abuse fatty, salty and very sweet foods are more likely to develop the disease, as they are more likely to have high cholesterol and be overweight. To normalize intestinal function, you need to eat lots of vegetables with fiber. If you barely eat raw carrots or cabbage to this point, then you can’t immediately eat them in kilograms. It is enough to eat 300 grams of such vegetables per day.

People with a predisposition to varicose veins need to be careful to maintain water balance. At least 1. 5 liters of clean water should be taken daily. Juices, soups, teas are not included in this norm. They are considered by the body as food, so they are quickly excreted by the kidneys and intestines. It is undesirable to use non -carbonated water. If you are prone to varicose veins, carbonated and sugary drinks should be excluded. The same rules apply to drinks with a high caffeine content.

Weight normalization

Maintaining a normal body mass index is important for the prevention of varicose veins. Simple physics works here. The heavier a person weighs, the stronger the pressure on the vessel. Of course, it is necessary to compare your weight with your own muscle volume, height and physique. With the same height, the weight difference of mesomorph and ectomorph can reach 15 kg.

weight control for the prevention of varicose veins

If you decide that the amount of fat in your body dominates muscle, then reduce the calories in your daily diet. This approach will allow you to lose weight without experiencing a strong craving for food. If you change your diet drastically, it will lead to damage and regain mass. To reduce calories in your daily diet, you should introduce more vegetables that contain fiber. They will not only help you lose weight, but also help normalize digestion.

Rejection of bad habits

Prevention of varicose veins on the legs affects all areas of human life. Bad habits are also on this list. Smoking, alcohol, and the tendency to overeat have damaging effects on blood vessels. This also includes conditions of constant stress. While relatively easy to overcome overeating, a strong addiction to alcohol and smoking requires medical attention. Hobby or group therapy sessions can help relieve stress.

Uploading gymnastics

In the prevention of leg varicose veins, it is important to do exercises that help relieve excessive tension from the muscles of the lower legs. The maximum duration of such training is 5-10 minutes. Doctors recommend doing it at least once a day, but preferably 2 times a day. The following physical activities are considered useful:

  • Exercise bike. Lie on a solid surface, lift your legs, and then start doing movements similar to riding a bike. If you can’t immediately interact with your feet one by one, then just pull your feet alternately to the body.
  • exercise bike for varicose vein prevention
  • Flexion / extension of the foot. Exercises are performed in a sitting position. It needs to do 20 movements with each foot.
  • flexion and extension of the legs for the prevention of varicose veins
  • Roll from heel to toe. They contribute well to the spread of blood if a person has been in a sitting position for a long time.
  • rolling exercises for the prevention of varicose veins
  • Climb to the tip of the foot. First, the action is performed simultaneously with the two legs, and then alternately. At the highest point, you should linger for 10-15 seconds, and then descend to the starting position.
  • exercises on the toes for the prevention of varicose veins

Foot massage

If you are not sure how to prevent varicose veins in your legs, try a gentle massage. By itself, the reflex effect on the skin and blood vessels has a tonic effect on the whole body. Due to short manipulations, increased blood and lymph flow, epithelial nutrition is normalized. Foot massages can be done independently or entrusted to a specialist. With a tendency for varicose veins, pressing and pinching movements should be avoided during the procedure. Self -sorting is done as follows:

  1. The patient should sit on the floor or on a bed / sofa, slightly bending the knees.
  2. The rubbing movement should be done from the toes to the bottom of the foot.
  3. The foot should be wrapped around the toes so that the thumb is on the back of the foot, and everything else is on the inside.
  4. The segment wrapped around your hand should be squeezed slowly, slowly moving towards the top of the foot.
  5. The side surface of the heel should be wrapped with your fingers on both sides, and then squeezed for a few seconds. Next, you need to move from the Achilles tendon to the knee.
  6. The procedure ends with rubbing the feet.
own foot massage for the prevention of varicose veins

Compression garments

Means for the prevention of varicose veins are different. Compression therapy is also one of them. If you want, you can attend a specialized physiotherapy procedure, when the effect by pressure is performed using a special device, but it is easier to buy medical stockings and tights.

Compression socks should be selected individually. If there is no tendency, it is enough to wear underwear with an initial level of compression. If you have symptoms of varicose veins, then the doctor must deal with the selection of jerseys. Suggestions for choosing medical linens are as follows:

  1. It should be comfortable. If you feel uncomfortable on the first installation, then these underwear are not suitable for you.
  2. The compression class should follow the doctor's recommendation. If you’ve been told to wear first grade compression stockings, then you can’t buy zero -grade knee -highs.
  3. Products must be of high quality. It is better to buy compression socks in specialty stores, and not on the market or any sale, because there is a high probability of encountering fakes, which will stretch over time and stop having a therapeutic effect on the feet.

Additional suggestions

Measures for the prevention of varicose veins include the use of special external cosmetic products (gels, creams, etc. ). They cool the surface of the feet, which contributes to the natural contraction of blood vessels. People who have a predisposition for varicose veins on the legs should avoid straining the muscles of the lower legs. Hygiene is important to prevent disease attacks. It is recommended not only to clean the skin of the feet well, but also to take a contrast bath. It also has a local irritating effect on blood vessels, which improves skin tone.

How to stop varicose veins

Prevention and treatment of varicose veins are closely related. The spread of the disease can be stopped at an early stage with the help of medications and alternative therapies, but with the disease progressing rapidly, only surgery can help. A phlebologist should develop a treatment plan for patients with varicose veins. It is not possible to choose medicine independently and engage in any oriental practice. Any action of the rash can worsen the condition of the blood vessels.

Drug therapy

Medications are able to stop the development of varicose veins at an early stage. As a rule, the disease begins to form because the vessels do not have enough nutrients to maintain an elastic wall. In this case, an increase in blood accumulation in the legs is often observed. Venotonics / phlebotonics - drugs that increase the outflow of fluid from the feet. They also help restore vascular walls. They are:

  • natural;
  • combined;
  • synthetic;
  • based on rutoside.

With high blood viscosity, patients are given medication with heparin. They help increase blood flow, but are contraindicated in people who are prone to bleeding.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs help reduce pain in the second stage of varicose veins. They also help relieve the itching and burning sensation that often accompanies the disease. External healing promotes skin healing. The duration of use of medications should be determined by a doctor, but often the standard course of treatment is 6-8 months, so you can not expect that all symptoms of the disease will disappear within 2 weeks after using the medications.

Traditional therapy

In the early stages, the disease is not considered life -threatening, but it also should not be allowed to drift. Sclerotherapy is a traditional minimally invasive method to prevent further development of varicose veins. It can be used to remove stars and small ships. Traditional therapies include:

  • echosclerotherapy;
  • microsclerotherapy;
  • thermocoagulation;
  • electromagnetotherapy;
  • darsonvalization;
  • electrical stimulation;
  • manual lymphatic drainage;
  • the use of elastic compression of the foot;
  • hydrotherapy;
  • balneotherapy;
  • pressotherapy.

All of these techniques help prevent further disease progression. They activate the natural process of vascular regeneration.

Unconventional methods

You can improve the condition of the feet with the help of mud therapy. The patient must remember that the wrap only needs to be cool. Warming the veins with varicose veins is very dangerous to the body. Ayurveda helps relieve chronic stress that triggers blood vessel stretching. This is one type of alternative medicine, built on the Hindu philosophical system. Various plants are used there as medicine. Non -traditional methods of treating varicose veins include:

  • yoga;
  • homeopathy;
  • naturopaths;
  • Tibetan Gymnastics.

Surgery

With varicose veins on the lower part of the leg, the most effective way to normalize blood flow is specialized surgery. The perfect method of surgical treatment of the disease is characterized by minimal invasiveness and rapid return of the patient to normal life activities. They allow you to completely get rid of the affected veins, which slows the progression of the disease. Modern methods of surgical treatment of varicose veins include:

  • short stripping;
  • video endoscopic surgery;
  • microphlebectomy;
  • laser freezing;
  • venectomy;
  • safenectomy.

This method is most often used to treat varicose veins. The surgical method to remove the vessel is chosen by the doctor based on the size of the vein and the general condition. Sometimes it is necessary to cut only part of the vessel, and sometimes it is necessary to remove it completely and create alternative channels for blood flow.

People's method

Folk remedies that improve the condition of the veins are divided into external and internal. If you are not sure that the cause of the development of varicose veins is a high number of platelets, the use of various tinctures should be delayed, because they contain a decoction of plants that help thin the blood. Effective external remedies for varicose veins:

  • Coniferous salt bath. 300 grams of dry material is put in hot water and then soaked there. If pine salt is not sold in your area, you can substitute baking soda. It is recommended to take such a bath 2-3 times a week.
  • Compressed apple cider vinegar. The product is diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 1 and then applied to the skin. From above the legs are wrapped with bandages, and then everything is fixed with plastic wrap. You can only use apple cider vinegar 2-3 times a day. It irritates the veins.
  • items for compresses for the prevention of varicose veins
  • Rub with horse chestnuts. Ready -made tinctures based on this plant can be purchased at the pharmacy or you can prepare it yourself. In the latter case, you need seeds with plant bark. 400 grams of dry product is poured with 1. 5 liters of vodka, and then infused for a week in a dark place. After the tincture is ready, they start wiping the part of the leg damaged by varicose veins.
  • horse chestnut for the prevention of varicose veins

Preventive forecasting

In women with a low predisposition to the development of the disease, during the prevention of varicose veins on the legs, it develops in only 5% of cases. The disease is mild, so it can be treated quickly. With a moderate predisposition to the disease, the disease occurs in 30% of patients. More often it is a mild to moderate form of the disease. With a clear predisposition to varicose veins, the disease progresses rapidly to an average form. Without prevention, the disease quickly worsens, which greatly complicates further treatment.

Clinical examination of the population

All citizens can undergo a free health check -up. In general, not all medical examinations are important, but only visits to surgeons and general blood test results. The surgeon may first notice the changes in the vessel, and then refer you to a phlebologist. Also, you should be careful if platelets predominate in general blood test prints, you should visit a phlebologist. This may indicate vascular thrombosis.

How to prevent varicose veins during pregnancy

While carrying a baby, the load on a woman's internal organs increases a lot. During pregnancy, the risk of developing varicose veins in the legs, small pelvis and external genitalia increases. Especially the danger increases in the II and III trimesters, when the fetus begins to actively develop. A phlebologist can tell you in detail how to prevent varicose veins on the legs in pregnant women. All preventive measures should be initiated in consultation with him. Doctors recommend a woman in the position:

  • wear comfortable shoes with low heels (completely flat soles are also dangerous);
  • try not to drink too much fluid;
  • go to water aerobics for pregnant women;
  • more often I put my feet up during the day;
  • wear a compression and support jersey.

Why disease prevention is important

It is easier to figure out how to prevent varicose veins on the legs than to deal with the treatment of an already formed disease. Many people who suffer from this disease have a genetic predisposition to develop it. The main goal of preventive measures is to maintain the normal condition of the ship. This can be done in different ways. All preventive measures can be divided into 2 types:

  • addressed to people who have a hereditary predisposition to the disease or face unfavorable working conditions;
  • intended for patients with any stage of varicose veins.

About 80% of phlebologists believe that preventing a disease is easier than treating it, so all conscientious citizens should devote at least 10-20 minutes a day to taking care of their feet.