Gravity is known to affect blood flow. The heart plays the role of a pump that ensures constant blood circulation. For the blood circulation of organs located above the heart, gravity has a positive effect. However, in the vessels of the lower extremities, gravity acts against the body. Sometimes, when the venous valves are insufficient or when the tone of the veins is reduced, the force of gravity is sufficient to prevent normal blood flow. In this case, blood stagnates in the veins, leading to the venous vessels themselves becoming deformed. Such veins are called varicose veins .
They can usually be found in the calf muscles and on the back of the knee joints. Approximately every tenth inhabitant of the planet suffers from varicose veins . As a rule, these are women aged 30 to 60 years with a congenital defect of the venous valves. This disease is also caused by obesity, poor posture, conditions when a person is forced to stand or sit for a long time, and pregnancy. With each of these conditions, additional pressure is placed on the veins and blood flow in the lower extremities is impeded.
- the absence of venous valves, their damage or hereditary defects, as a result of which they are not able to prevent the reverse flow of blood into the lower extremities, which in turn is caused by the action of gravity. Thus, the veins become filled with blood and dilate;
- prolonged stay in an upright position.
- increased pressure exerted on the veins of the lower half of the body when muscles tense during bowel movements, when lifting heavy objects, or during pregnancy.
- tortuous, dark blue or purple veins on the legs;
- uneven brownish pigmentation of the skin in the area of the legs and ankles;
- intense pain in the legs;
- episodic occurrence of cramps in the muscles of the lower extremities;
- ulcerative defects on the skin of the legs or in the joint area.
- severe venous bleeding when the lower extremities are injured;
- thrombophlebitis (inflammation of a certain section of the vein, which is accompanied by the formation of a blood clot).
Without treatment, varicose veins will not disappear. However, you can relieve pain and reduce discomfort on your own in the following ways:
Avoid standing motionless in one place for long periods of time. Without physical exercise, the blood in the affected vessels stagnates and the pressure increases. All this leads to the accumulation of water in the feet, ankles and lower legs, which is accompanied by an increase in pain.
Don't forget to move regularly and change your body position. When walking, the calf muscles contract. At the same time, blood flows faster to the heart and thereby reduces the pressure in the veins. In addition, thanks to physical activity, fluid is absorbed faster by soft tissues, thereby reducing pain.
Wear special therapeutic tights or knee socks to prevent fluid retention in soft tissues.
If you have to sit for long periods of time, flex and extend your ankles to maintain blood flow. When traveling, pay special attention to the condition of your feet. Don't sit in one place for a long time. Every 45-60 minutes you need to get up and stretch.
Don't sit close to the fire. A stationary body position, combined with a high ambient temperature, which promotes the expansion of veins , together leads to fluid retention and a feeling of discomfort in the legs.
Take a bath in the evening. If you take a hot bath early in the morning, this will lead to re-expansion of the veins and fluid retention, and, consequently, to pain.
Sufferers of varicose veins without any heart disease may be advised to sleep in a position where the feet lie above the level of the heart. Thus, gravitational drainage of the lower extremities is carried out. Raise your legs above heart level 3-4 times a day for 5-10 minutes. This is especially useful for pregnant women. Don't eat a lot of salty foods, because... in this case, more fluid is retained in the body.
Your doctor may prescribe medications to relieve your condition or improve the tone of your veins. However, with severe varicose veins, sclerotherapy or surgery is required.
Sclerotherapy is special injections of drugs, the action of which leads to the collapse and overgrowth of dilated veins, which prevents the reverse outflow of blood.
Surgery is the removal of varicose veins (vein excision).
If necessary, the doctor will prescribe treatment for complications.
Varicose veins in the pelvis are a disease that affects mainly women of reproductive age, and the cause of this is reflux through the ovarian vein, that is, the reverse flow of blood. This condition is caused by compression of the pelvic vessels with an enlarged uterus during pregnancy or as a result of the hormonal levels of the body also during pregnancy. As a result, pregnancy becomes a trigger for the development of this disease. In some cases, this type of varicose veins can develop during adolescence. In general, in adolescents, this disease is practically asymptomatic; its only symptom is copious white discharge from the genital tract.
In addition to pregnancy, pelvic varicose veins can also be caused by other causes today; these are congenital pathologies of connective tissue, which lead to a decrease in the amount of collagen directly in the walls of blood vessels, due to the weakening of the venous walls, which stretch very quickly and then lose their shape. In this case, the venous valves become underdeveloped and cannot perform their functions fully. Sedentary sedentary work, very difficult or multiple births, as well as excessive physical activity, that is, heavy regular physical labor, can also influence the development of the disease.
In addition, the cause of the disease can be gynecological diseases of an inflammatory nature, increased production of estrogen in the female body, as well as the frequent use of interrupted sexual intercourse as contraception. Quite often, varicose veins of the small pelvis can be confused with other types of varicose veins, that is, varicose veins of the testicle, varicose veins of the uterus. However, in reality, these are completely different diseases that have different clinical manifestations and are usually caused by different reasons.
The main symptoms that are characteristic of pelvic varicose veins are pain in the lower abdomen, which varies in intensity; pain can also radiate to the lumbosacral or groin area. Such pain may intensify after standing on your feet for a long time, after or during sexual intercourse, even in the first days of menstruation or before its onset. When the disease occurs, a woman has a clearly defined premenstrual syndrome, very heavy discharge from the genital tract, increased sensitivity or soreness of the vagina and perineum, dysmenorrhea, and urination disorders may also occur. Such symptoms are expressed in different ways, for example, in some people they are more pronounced, but in others they are slightly weaker; a certain group of people may have the main signs of the disease, while others have only 1-2 signs.
It is worth knowing that with varicose veins of the female pelvis, thrombosis and inflammation of varicose veins may develop. In terms of its symptoms and clinical picture, this disease is similar to various inflammatory gynecological diseases, such as uterine prolapse, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids. That is why the doctor may be faced with a double task, that is, to conduct a complete differential diagnosis, and also completely exclude the possibility of other diseases; varicose veins may also be confirmed. In this case, the doctor determines the localization of reflux, that is, he detects the place where the backflow of blood occurs into the veins located in the perineum.
To diagnose varicose veins of the small pelvis, a whole range of methods is used, these are Dopplerography of blood vessels, vaginal examination, ultrasound, laparoscopy, computed tomography to clarify an unclear diagnosis, and also prescribe an x-ray examination. All these diagnostic measures are necessary precisely in order to establish an accurate diagnosis and to completely eliminate the possibility of erroneous treatment. Since very common varicose veins of the female pelvis even in adolescence can be mistaken for colpitis, therefore, instead of treating varicose veins, the doctor treats inflammation of the vaginal mucosa.
It is worth knowing that varicose veins of the pelvic vessels, both with proper treatment and with effective treatment, are very difficult to treat and cannot be eliminated. But treating the disease can significantly improve the patient's quality of life. Many experts recommend combining physical therapy and drug therapy, as well as wearing special compression garments. There is also a special need for such underwear during pregnancy.
Due to the specific location of the veins during varicose veins of the pelvis, medications are usually taken only orally; gels and ointments are practically not used in this case. Moreover, for patients with varicose veins of the small pelvis, the doctor prescribes special venotonic agents and those drugs that improve the rheological properties of the blood. And if the patient has varicose veins, which are caused by a hormonal imbalance in the body, then drug correction of hormonal levels will be required. It is also recommended to use local hormonal preparations in treatment, these are suppositories, ointments and gels. But for especially severe patients, surgical treatment is prescribed, and it is usually justified for varicose veins of the ovaries. In some cases, it is better to prescribe conservative treatment. Recently, more modern techniques have emerged for the surgical treatment of varicose veins.
Varicose veins of the deep veins of the lower extremities most often develop in people engaged in sedentary work after 40 years. The development of varicose veins is associated with a loss of elasticity of the venous valves. As a result of valve stretching, the direction of blood flow is disrupted and blood stagnation in the veins is possible. In addition to disrupting blood flow, varicose veins cause concomitant diseases. These are thrombosis, narrowing of the internal diameter of veins, phlebitis, and the development of arteriosclerosis.
Symptoms of deep varicose veins of the lower extremities are heaviness in the legs, nagging pain in the calf muscles, a change in gait to a heavier one, and less pronounced lifting of the foot while walking. The gait becomes elephantine because movements of the foot and high lifting of the leg cause severe nagging pain.
You should definitely pay attention if your legs hurt, as if after heavy exercise, but without exercise.
If the pain in the legs does not go away for several days, this definitely indicates problems with the blood vessels. If there is swelling, a feeling of heaviness in the legs, or cramps during sleep, you should immediately consult a doctor and begin treatment. You should not limit yourself to ointments and gels “for tired legs,” no matter what miracles advertising promises. We need comprehensive treatment of the entire cardiovascular system.
Varicose veins of deep veins are quite difficult to recognize at an early stage. External veins located under the skin begin to protrude and become deformed, which is noticeable to the eye. The first symptoms of varicose veins of external veins are spider veins on the skin, then the veins of the veins become visible. Painful sensations from varicose veins appear only with severe expansion, when the veins are no longer able to independently return to normal volume and begin to protrude above the skin.
In severe cases, varicose veins appear in swollen clusters and may even be visible under clothing. To tone the veins, it is recommended to wear special compression garments that do not allow the veins to swell too much. When combined with special medications and venotonics, this can cause swollen blood vessels to return to normal size and restore elasticity.
The deep veins are surrounded on all sides by muscle tissue; their deformation can only be seen on an ultrasound. It is impossible to visually recognize the danger and start taking appropriate medications.
Of course, the deep veins are better protected due to the location inside the muscle masses that perform compression functions. Varicose veins are primarily susceptible to external veins that do not have such support. As a result of more difficult diagnosis, treatment of varicose veins of the deep veins of the lower extremities is much more difficult.
Unfortunately, deep vein varicose veins are an already advanced disease. At the initial stage, diagnosis is almost impossible in most cases. A doctor may diagnose problems with deep vessels accidentally if you undergo an annual comprehensive examination.
By identifying problems with pressure and examining the circulatory system, subtle symptoms of varicose veins of the deep veins of the lower extremities can be detected before painful and obvious symptoms appear.
If you practice scheduled health examinations of employees at work, do not treat them negligently and try to undergo full examinations; this really helps to identify diseases that are difficult to diagnose in the early stages. An experienced doctor will pay attention to problems with blood pressure and prescribe medications to prevent the development of vein diseases.
Folk remedies are used to treat varicose veins of the internal veins of the lower extremities. These are nettle decoctions and foot compresses made from nettle leaves, hawthorn tincture, clay masks and foot baths with sea salt. Use folk remedies only on the recommendation of a doctor.
First of all, you need to put your heart in order. Varicose veins are not the main disease, but are always only concomitant with diseases of the cardiovascular system. To prevent varicose veins, it is advisable to pay attention to the condition of the heart muscle. But when varicose veins manifest themselves, they require independent treatment.
Varicose veins of the deep veins of the lower extremities are an insidious and hidden dangerous disease that affects more than 50% of middle-aged people and more than 80% of elderly people. It is necessary to take care of the health of the veins and cardiovascular system in advance in order to keep your legs healthy and your gait light for as long as possible.