Varicose veins or varicose veins are a pathological process that many people face. In most cases, the disease affects the vessels of the legs, resulting in their lengthening, deformation, thinning of the vascular walls. In addition, the valves located inside the veins cease to fully perform their functions, which disrupts the systemic circulation, and blood stagnates in the veins.
Under the influence of the described factors, the vessels grow in size, appear on the surface and appear through the skin. As a result, a whole vascular network is visible on the surface of the skin, often with nodules and trophic ulcers. However, in addition to cosmetic disorders, the problem is much deeper and very often accompanied by painful sensations.
The nature of pain with varicose veins
First of all, it is important to understand that the concept of "very often" does not mean that pain is accompanied in 100% of cases of varicose veins. Much depends on a number of factors, on the individual characteristics of the patient's body, and even in the later stages of the progression of the pathological process there may be no pain.
If we classify painful sensations, we will first of all consider their localization:
- In most cases, the pain syndrome is localized directly at the site of vascular lesions, their deformation.
- In second place in terms of frequency of localization is the area of the gastrocnemius muscle, while the pain itself is localized closer to the popliteal region of the leg.
- The lowest probability of localization of the pain syndrome goes to the ankle.
Of course, the likelihood of developing pain in the legs increases as the pathological process progresses. This is due to the aggravating condition of blood vessels, their increase, the progression of stagnant processes and, as a result, an increase in blood pressure. Ultimately, the pressure can increase so much that the walls of the vessel will not resist, which threatens internal bleeding, hematoma formation and trophic ulcers.
Accordingly, the nature of the pain depends on the degree of development of the disease:
- In the early stages, painful or rather unpleasant sensations of a pulling or squeezing character are caused by swelling of the legs. It is important to understand that in addition to disturbances in blood circulation, fluid is retained in the legs, which causes swelling. In the early stages, the edema is periodic, appears more often in the evening, and discomfort is caused by fatigue, walking in shoes during the day, in extreme cases by skin tension.
- The fact of fatigue deserves special attention. With varicose veins, the legs tire more quickly. Initially, this is expressed during prolonged physical exertion during the day (if the patient stands for a long time, walks a lot, etc. ). However, as the disease progresses, fatigue makes itself felt more often and more intensely, resulting in characteristic painful sensations. In this case, the pains are dull, even pulling, or painful in nature.
- By the second stage of the disease, with a worsening of the condition of the veins, their more severe deformation and valve dysfunction of moderate severity, patients complain about the effect of gravity. In this case, the pains are characterized as bursting, in some cases they are even called acute. This is due to the increasing pressure in the vessels, and if at first it is enough to lie down and put your feet on a hill, so that the pain subsides, in the future you will have to deal with it usingmedication.
- Most likely is the development of the pain syndrome, as well as its increased intensity in the case of the progression of varicose veins to the fourth final stage. It is at this stage that vascular strain and blood pressure peak.
It is difficult to more accurately describe the characteristics of painful sensations with varicose veins in the legs. This is due to the individual characteristics of the organism of each patient, as well as the features of the course of the disease. However, the pain can be felt as:
- Dumb.
- Pulling.
- Painful.
- Bursting.
- Compressive.
- Sharp.
- Similar to rezi.
Also in the second and even more often in the third stage of the development of pathology, the pains are accompanied by muscle cramps, which disturb patients mainly during a night's sleep.
Causes of painful sensations
Understanding where varicose vein pain comes from can help you treat this problem more effectively or prevent pain. So, pain occurs under the influence of the following reasons:
- Pathological changes in the vascular bed slow down blood circulation in certain areas of the veins. This results in decreased blood flow, which leads to oxygen starvation and pain.
- The blood circulation promotes the elimination of wastes, which are constantly produced by the body in small quantities. Due to a decrease in the flow of blood and its stagnation, the decomposition products are slowly removed, which leads to the appearance of toxins that poison living cells, this process also causes painful sensations.
- Also contributing to the onset of pain, trophic disorders that appear in the later stages of the development of varicose veins and with the progression of the disease only intensify, causing increasingly severe pain.
The pain increases with physical exertion, fatigue in the legs, in most cases they become particularly intense in the afternoon or evening.
Methods of treating pathology
For the complete elimination of pain, it is necessary to direct all forces to the treatment of the pathological process. To do this, you need to consult a doctor who will make a diagnosis, on the basis of which he will prescribe the most suitable treatment for a particular patient.
The treatment will take some time, during which the patient will be tormented by pain. Therefore, it is important to understand not only how to treat varicose veins, but also to know the methods for relieving pain.
First aid in the fight against pain
Elimination of pain is only a symptomatic part of treatment, in most cases it does not affect the solution of the main problem - varicose veins.
Nevertheless, it is very important to eliminate pain, consider the main methods of treating unpleasant and painful sensations:
- In the early stages of the development of the disease, the pains are unstable, their intensity is rather weak, and they occur mainly in the evening. In such cases, it is sufficient to take a lying position and rest your feet on a pillow or simply rest them against the wall so that the feet are above the level of the body. This position helps blood flow, reducing pain and swelling.
- It is also very useful to do a light massage, kneading the lower extremities with massaging and rubbing movements. Remember that you can stretch your legs during the day, which is very useful in the later stages of the development of the disease.
Traditional methods of pain relief
In case of severe pain that constantly bothers you, as well as in cases where there is no way to massage or relax, you need to resort to the help of medicines. Of course, only a doctor should prescribe a drug, but in most cases the following drugs are used:
- Special means in the form of gels - we are talking mainly about non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that effectively relieve pain, as well as a pronounced anti-inflammatory and moderate antipyretic effect.
- In some cases, you can resort to pain relievers, but with varicose veins their effect is insignificant and short-lived. They are mainly analgesics and antispasmodics.
- If the painful sensations are accompanied or worsened by seizures, it is worth talking to your doctor about the use of muscle relaxants, which help reduce muscle spasms.
- Additionally, traditional methods of treating painful sensations of varicose veins in the legs include wearing special compression socks, stockings, or tights. This method is considered to be the most effective in terms of pain relief and the effect is longest. The mentioned underwear should only be purchased at a drugstore, and since they have different degrees of compression, consult your doctor first.
Folk remedies
In traditional medicine, there are also many ways to eliminate or prevent the pain caused by the development of varicose veins. Consider some of the most effective methods and recipes:
- Horse chestnut - an alcoholic tincture should be prepared from the fruit of this tree. To do this, grind 100 grams of peeled chestnut, place them in a glass dish and pour 500 milliliters of vodka. Place the container in a dark place and let stand for 7-8 days at room temperature, stirring once a day. After that, the tincture is filtered and the legs are rubbed with it before going to bed or even during the day if the pains bother during the day.
- Products based on beeswax or propolis show great effectiveness in the fight against the pain of varicose veins. To prepare the drug, take 80-90 grams of propolis, crush it and pour 300 milliliters of medical alcohol into a glass container. The agent is infused for 30 days or until the propolis is completely dissolved. All the while, it is also kept in a dark place by shaking it periodically. Once the medicine is ready, you can rub your feet or apply lotions.
Pain prevention
It is also important to understand that in the initial stages of the disease, when the pain is not severe or rarely bothers, but treatment has been started, it will be enough to follow the recommendations that reduce the risk of painful sensations:
- Avoid wearing shoes with high heels.
- Make sure your shoes are comfortable.
- During the cold season, when working indoors, it is important to switch from boots to lighter, more comfortable shoes.
- Try to minimize the stress on your legs.
- It is impossible to maintain a static position for a long time. If you are on your feet a lot, try to sit more, but if you are sitting a lot, it is important to take regular walks or at least to warm up.
- During the day, try to massage the lower limbs, 5 minutes of light massage will protect you from pain during the day.
- It is also important to lead a healthy lifestyle, to start doing light sports, to eat well, to give up bad habits, etc.