Symptoms of painful varicose veins

Varicose veins andthe main causes

Veins that are swollen, enlarged and of irregular shape arecalled varicose veins, and they particularly affect those in legs and feet,though practically any vein can become varicose. A bit milder form of varicoseveins is called spider veins, but the fact is that people with such problemsare at higher risk of developing some serious problem with circulation.

The maincause of varicose veins is age, because with age they become less elastic and theirvalves tend to weaken. However, when it comes to the factors that increase therisk of developing them, it has to be mentioned that women are more prone tothis condition then men, and this is due to the hormonal changes in variousperiod of their lives, since hormones of females have a relaxing effect on thewalls of the veins.

Obese people and those who stand for a longer time duringthe day are also more likely to develop it, because of the increased pressureon veins and because of the fact that the blood cannot circulate well if theperson is in the same position all the time.

The symptoms ofvaricose veins

The most common symptoms of varicose veins are purple orblue color, as well as twisted or bulging appearance, but the fact is that inmost of the cases, the pain is not present. Still, the main symptoms of the painfulvaricose veins are somewhat different and they include:

heavy feeling in legs,swelling and the burning sensation, followed by musclecramps, particularly in lower part of the legs,worsening of the pain in cases when the person has beensitting or standing for a longer time,itching around the problematic veins, andformation of ulcers around the ankle.

The treatment andpossible complications

Surgery procedure that will remove the affected vein, or theone called scleotherapy, which requires injection of certain chemical that willcause scarring and blockage of the affected vein are two possible solutions,but none of them is 100 % successful. This is why they are suggested only whenthe situation practically cannot get any worse. Until then, the patient issuggested to keep the legs elevated from time to time so that the blood wouldflow away from them, to keep the feet and ankles moving in order to reduce thepressure inside the vein, to avoid sitting with legs crossed, wearing highheels and tight stocking. Also, the overweight people are highly recommended tolose some weight in order to decrease the pressure.