Varicose veins or varicose veins are a pathological process that many people face. In most cases, the disease affects the vessels of the legs, leading to stretching, deformation, thinning of the vascular walls. In addition, the valves located inside the veins cease to perform their full functions, which interrupts the systemic circulation and the blood becomes stagnant in the veins.
Under the influence of the described factors, the vessels increase in size, appear on the surface, appearing through the skin. As a result, an entire 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 often accompanied by painful sensations.
The nature of pain with varicose veins
First of all, it is important to understand that the concept of "often" does not mean that pain is accompanied by 100% of varicose veins. Much depends on various factors, on the individual characteristics of the patient's body, and even in the most advanced stages of the progression of the pathological process there may be no pain.
If we classify painful sensations, we will first consider their location:
- In most cases, the pain syndrome is located directly at the site of vascular lesions, their deformation.
- Second in terms of frequency of location is the area of the gastrocnemius muscle, while the pains themselves are located closer to the popliteal region of the leg.
- The least likely location of the pain syndrome goes to the ankle area.
Of course, the likelihood of developing leg pain increases as the pathological process progresses. This is due to the aggravating state of blood vessels, their enlargement, the progression of stagnant processes and, consequently, the increase in vascular pressure. Ultimately, the pressure can build up so much that the vessel walls won't resist, threatening internal bleeding, bruising, and trophic ulcers.
Thus, the nature of pain depends on the degree of development of the disease:
- In the early stages, painful or rather unpleasant pulling or squeezing sensations are caused by swelling of the legs. It is important to understand that along with blood flow disturbances, fluid is retained in the legs, which causes swelling. In the early stages, edema is periodic, appears more often at night, 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 get tired faster. 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 with more frequency and intensity, due to which characteristic painful sensations are felt. In this case, the pains are dull in nature, also pulling or aching.
- Around 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 of 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 increased pressure in the vessels, and if at first it is enough to lie down and put your feet on a hill for the pain to subside, in the future you will have to deal with them using medication.
- The most likely is the development of the pain syndrome, as well as its increase in intensity in the case of progression of varicose veins to the fourth final stage. It is at this stage that vascular deformation and vascular pressure reach a 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 characteristics of the course of the disease. However, the pain can be felt as:
- Stupid.
- To pull.
- Sore.
- bursting.
- Compressive.
- Sharp.
- Similar to prayer.
Also in the second, and even more often in the third stage of the development of the pathology, pains are accompanied by muscle cramps, which bother patients mainly during the night's sleep.
Causes of painful sensations
Understanding where varicose vein pain comes from can help you deal with this problem more effectively or prevent the pain from occurring. So, pains arise under the influence of the following reasons:
- Pathological changes in the vascular bed slow blood flow to certain areas of the veins. This leads to a decrease in blood flow, due to which oxygen deprivation begins and pain occurs.
- Blood circulation promotes the elimination of waste products, which are constantly produced by the body in small amounts. Due to a decrease in blood flow and its stagnation, decomposition products are slowly removed, which leads to the appearance of toxins that poison living cells, this process also causes painful sensations.
- Trophic disorders that appear in the late stages of the development of varicose veins and with the progression of the disease only intensify, causing increasingly acute pains also contribute to the onset of pain.
The pain increases with physical exertion, fatigue in the legs, in most cases it becomes especially intense in the afternoon or evening.
Methods of dealing with 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 carry out a diagnosis, on the basis of which he will prescribe the most suitable treatment for a specific patient.
The treatment will take a certain time, during which the patient will be tormented by pain. Therefore, it is important to understand not only how to deal with varicose veins, but also to know the pain relief methods.
First aid in the fight against pain
Elimination of pain is only a symptomatic part of the treatment, in most cases it does not affect the solution of the main problem - varicose veins.
However, it is very important to eliminate pain, consider the main methods for dealing with unpleasant and painful sensations:
- In the early stages of the development of the disease, the pains are unstable, their intensity is quite low, and they occur mainly at night. In these cases, just lie down and place your feet on a pillow or simply support them on the wall so that your feet are above the level of your body. This position facilitates blood flow, thus reducing pain and swelling.
- It is also very useful to give a light massage, kneading the lower limbs with massage and friction movements. Remember, you can stretch your legs during the day, which is very helpful in the later stages of the disease's development.
Traditional pain relief methods
In case of intense pain that constantly bothers you, as well as in cases where there is no way to massage or relax, you should turn to the help of medication. 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 - mainly we are talking about non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that effectively relieve pain, as well as having a pronounced moderate anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effect.
- In some cases, you can resort to painkillers, but with varicose veins, their effect is negligible and short-lived. These are mainly analgesics and antispasmodics.
- If painful sensations are accompanied or worsened by seizures, it's worth talking to your doctor about using muscle relaxants, which help reduce muscle spasms.
- Also, traditional methods of dealing with painful sensations with varicose veins in the legs include wearing special compression stockings, stockings or tights. This method is considered the most effective in terms of pain relief, and its effect is the longest. The mentioned underwear should only be purchased at pharmacies and as it has different degrees of compression, consult your doctor first.
Folk remedies
In folk medicine, there are also many ways to eliminate or prevent pain caused by the development of varicose veins. Consider some of the most effective methods and recipes:
- Horse chestnut - an alcoholic tincture must be prepared from the fruit of this tree. To do this, grind 100 grams of peeled chestnuts, put them in a glass dish and pour 500 milliliters of vodka. Place the container in a dark place and leave 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 you during the day.
- Products based on beeswax or propolis are highly effective in fighting varicose veins pain. To prepare the drug, take 80-90 grams of propolis, grind 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 this time is also kept in a dark place, shaking it periodically. When the medicine is ready, you can rub your feet or apply lotions.
pain prevention
It is also important to understand that in the early stages of the disease, when the pain is not intense or bothers rarely, but treatment has already started, it is enough to follow the recommendations that reduce the likelihood of painful sensations:
- Avoid wearing high heel shoes.
- Make sure your shoes are comfortable.
- In the cold season, when working indoors, it is important to change your boots for lighter and 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 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.
- During the day, try massaging your lower extremities, 5 minutes of light massage will protect you from pain during the day.
- It is also important to lead a healthy lifestyle, start doing light sports, eat right, give up bad habits, etc.