Varicose veins or varicose veins are a pathological process faced by many people. In most cases, the disease affects the blood vessels in the legs, causing them to lengthen, deform, and thin their walls. In addition, the valves located in the veins stop functioning fully, which disrupts systemic circulation and stagnates blood in the veins.
Under the influence of said factors, blood vessels increase in size, appear on the surface, and manifest through the skin. As a result, the entire vascular network is visible on the skin surface, often with nodules and trophic ulcers. Beyond the aesthetic disturbance, however, the problem is deeper and often accompanied by painful feelings.
The nature of varicose vein pain
First, it's important to understand that the concept of "often" does not mean that pain accompanies 100% of varicose vein cases. Much depends on many factors, the individual characteristics of the patient's body, and there may be no pain even at a later stage in the progression of the pathological process.
If we classify painful sensations, first we will consider their localization:
- In most cases, pain syndromes are located directly at the site of vascular lesions, that is, their deformation.
- In terms of frequency of localization, the gastrocnemius region came in second, while the pain itself was closer to the popliteal region of the leg.
- The lowest probability of pain syndrome localization occurred in the ankle region.
Of course, as the pathological process progresses, the likelihood of developing pain in the legs also increases. This is due to the deteriorating state of the blood vessels, their increase, the progression of the stagnant process and the consequent increase in the pressure of the blood vessels. Eventually, the pressure can build up so much that the walls of the blood vessels can't handle it, which can lead to internal bleeding, hematomas, and the formation of trophic ulcers.
Therefore, the nature of pain depends on the degree of development of the disease:
- In the initial stages, swelling in the legs can cause pain or an unpleasant pulling or squeezing sensation. It's important to understand that with disrupted blood flow, fluid can get trapped in the leg, which can cause swelling. The initial edema is periodic, mostly at night, discomfort is due to fatigue, walking in shoes during the day, and extreme skin tension.
- The fact of fatigue deserves special attention. With varicose veins, the legs tire faster. Initially, this manifests itself in prolonged physical exertion during the day (if the patient stands for a long time, walks a lot, etc. ). However, as the disease progresses, fatigue can make itself feel more frequent and intense, and therefore the characteristic pain sensation. In this case, the pain is dull in nature, and there is also pulling or pain.
- In about the second stage of the disease, as the condition of the veins worsens, with their more severe deformation and moderately severe valve dysfunction, patients complain of severe effects. In this case, the pains are characterized by bursts, and in some cases, they are even called acute pains. This is due to the increased pressure in the blood vessels, if lying down and putting your feet on the hill is enough to relieve the pain at first, you will have to use medication to deal with them in the future.
- Most likely, the development of a pain syndrome and its increase in intensity in the event of progression to the final fourth stage of varicose veins. It is during this phase that vessel deformation and vessel pressure peak.
It is difficult to more accurately characterize the painful sensation of varicose veins in the legs. This is due to the individual characteristics of each patient's organism as well as the characteristics of the disease process. However, pain can manifest as:
- stupid.
- pull.
- pain.
- burst.
- compression.
- sharp.
- Similar to rezi.
Also in the second stage of pathological development, and even more often in the third stage, pain is accompanied by muscle spasms, which mainly disturb the patient during sleep at night.
Causes of Pain Feelings
Understanding the source of varicose vein pain can help you manage the problem more effectively or prevent the pain from occurring. Therefore, pain is produced under the influence of:
- Pathological changes in the vascular bed slow blood circulation in certain areas of the vein. This causes reduced blood flow, which starts to lack oxygen and causes pain.
- Circulation of the blood promotes the elimination of waste products, which are small amounts of waste that the body constantly produces. Due to reduced blood flow and its stagnation, decay products are slowly removed, resulting in the appearance of toxins that poison living cells, a process that also causes painful feelings.
- Also contributing to the pain are nutritional disorders that appear late in the development of varicose veins and only intensify as the disease progresses, causing more and more acute pain.
Pain increases with physical exertion and leg fatigue, and in most cases they become especially intense in the afternoon or evening.
approach to pathology
In order to completely eliminate pain, it is necessary to devote all power to the treatment of the pathological process. For this, you need to consult the doctor who will make the diagnosis, and on the basis of this, he will prescribe the treatment that is most suitable for the particular patient.
Treatment takes a certain amount of time, during which the patient suffers from pain. Therefore, it is important to know not only how to deal with varicose veins, but also ways to relieve pain.
first aid for pain
Removing pain is only a symptomatic part of treatment, and in most cases it does not affect the resolution of the main problem - varicose veins.
However, eliminating pain is very important, consider the main ways to deal with unpleasant and painful sensations:
- During the initial stages of disease development, pain is unstable, rather low in intensity, and occurs mainly at night. In this case, it is sufficient to take a supine position and place your feet on pillows or simply lean them against a wall so that your feet are above body level. This position facilitates blood flow, which reduces pain and swelling.
- It is also useful to do a light massage, rubbing the lower body in a massaging and rubbing motion. Remember that you can stretch your legs during the day, which can be useful later in the disease's development.
traditional pain relief
If severe pain continues to bother you and you cannot massage or relax, you should turn to medication. Of course, only a doctor can prescribe medication, but in most cases, the following medications are used:
- Special means in the form of gels - mainly the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) we are talking about are effective for pain relief and have pronounced anti-inflammatory and moderate antipyretic effects.
- In some cases, you can use pain relievers, but for varicose veins, their effect is negligible and short-lived. These are mainly pain relievers and antispasmodics.
- If the twitching accompanies or exacerbates the pain, it's worth talking to your doctor about using muscle relaxants, which can help reduce muscle spasms.
- In addition, traditional methods of dealing with painful varicose veins in the legs include wearing special compression stockings, stockings, or tights. This method is considered the most effective in relieving pain and has the longest effect. The above underwear can only be purchased in drugstores, and because the degree of compression varies, please consult your doctor first.
folk remedies
In folk 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 alcohol tincture must be made from the fruit of this tree. To do this, grind 100 g of peeled chestnuts, put in a glass dish and pour 500 ml of vodka. Keep the container in a dark place at room temperature for 7-8 days, stirring once a day. After that, filter the tincture and rub your legs with the tincture before going to bed, or even rub your legs with it during the day if the pain is unbearable.
- Products based on beeswax or propolis have been shown to be highly effective in combating varicose vein pain. To prepare the medicine, take 80-90 grams of propolis, grind it, and pour 300 ml of medical alcohol into a glass container. Infuse the potion for 30 days or until the propolis is completely dissolved, during this time it is also kept in a dark place with regular shaking. After the medicine is ready, you can rub your feet or apply lotion.
pain prevention
It is also important to understand that in the initial stages of the disease, when pain is not severe or bothersome, but treatment has already begun, it is sufficient to follow the recommendations to reduce the likelihood of pain sensation:
- Avoid wearing high heels.
- Make sure your shoes are comfortable.
- During colder seasons, when working indoors, it's important to change your boots to lighter, more comfortable shoes.
- Minimize stress on your legs.
- It is impossible to remain still for long periods of time. If you stand a lot, try to sit more, but if you sit a lot, it's important to take regular walks or at least warm up.
- Massage your lower limbs as much as possible during the day, and a 5-minute light massage can keep you away from pain during the day.
- It's also important to live a healthy lifestyle, start doing light exercise, eat right, and break bad habits.