Varicose veins in the legs, initial stage of how to treat

Today, diseases such as varicose veins are the most common. As a rule, a sedentary lifestyle leads to the development of an illness and a premature reaction to the body's signals leads to quite serious consequences, which in turn harm health. In this article, we will consider a topic like varicose veins in the legs, photos, the initial stage of how to treat. I would like to note that it is common to call varicose veins a disease characterized by the stagnation of blood in the blood vessels of the lower extremities, which causes swelling of the peripheral veins. The swollen vessels are dark blue in color, in the absence of proper treatment, acquire a purple hue, the formation of blood clots and ulcers begins, resulting in severe pain.

Symptoms of the disease in the early stage of development

Varicose veins in the legs are a very insidious disease - due to the fact that this disease is very difficult to diagnose in the early stage of development. The symptoms of the disease are similar to many other diseases, such as osteochondrosis or flat feet. Often, patients with varicose veins seek professional medical help when swelling and pain in the limbs appear sufficiently.

Varicose veins of the legs

However, there are several general symptoms, noting that you should immediately contact a specialist to find out the cause of the disease and to know what are the varicose veins in the legs, photos, the initial stage of how to treat. The initial symptoms of the disease include an increase in the venous pattern, however, as a rule, in this case, edema, pain and edema of the blood vessels are not observed.

Consider the most obvious symptoms that indicate the presence of a disease such as varicose veins:

  • the appearance of pain in the legs, which can appear at any time, also frequently these symptoms are accompanied by itching and cramps in the limbs during sleep;
  • the appearance of a feeling of fatigue and swelling in the legs;
  • the skin changes color, the skin in the problem areas acquires a bluish tint, it becomes drier;
  • bulge of the veins above the skin surface and appearance of characteristic spider veins.

Why varicose veins are dangerous

Note that, as mentioned above, a topic such as varicose veins in the legs represents the initial stage of how to treat is very relevant for many. This is due to the fact that varicose veins are a very dangerous disease and a cosmetic defect in the form of swollen veins is just the tip of the iceberg. The disease can lead to quite serious complications, so treatment of varicose veins is mandatory!

As you can see in the photo of the initial stage of the disease, its characteristic symptom is the swelling of the veins, which is far from harmless, let's list the evils that can cause varicose veins.

  • Phlebitis- this disease involves the initiation of an inflammatory process in the venous walls. As a rule, patients with phlebitis constantly experience very severe acute pain. In addition, painful lumps appear in the affected area.
  • Thrombophlebitis- the disease is characterized by the formation of blood clots in the inflamed and dilated veins. Note that thrombophlebitis occurs due to a lack of proper treatment for phlebitis. In addition to pain in the extremities, the patient feels general weakness, loses appetite.
  • Trophic ulcers- this is another complication of varicose veins, which is manifested by malnutrition of the epidermis, leading to the appearance of dermatitis, the consequence of which is a trophic ulcer that is difficult to heal.

Preparations for varicose veins

Polishes

Today, the pharmaceutical market offers a wide range of drugs for the treatment of diseases involving varicose veins and ointments for varicose veins deserve special attention.

Anticoagulants. These drugs for treating varicose veins are the most popular. The main task of the ointment is a complex effect, which helps to reduce the viscosity of the blood, the reabsorption of the blood clots that appear, to reduce the inflammatory process and to reduce the symptoms of pain. The medications provide the maximum positive effect when applied in the initial phase of the disease, improving blood circulation and strengthening the walls of blood vessels.

Ointment based on sodium heparin, prevents the formation of blood clots and reduces blood clotting.

Venotonics help to effectively deal with the symptoms of varicose veins, strengthening blood vessels and inhibiting inflammatory processes.

Creams

Varicose veins creams are also effective, as are ointments due to their active ingredients, which can effectively combat the unpleasant symptoms of the disease.

Ketoprofen creams actively suppress inflammatory processes in the vessels of the lower extremities. These drugs belong to the group of non-steroids, which indicates their effectiveness in removing swelling and eliminating pain.

Creams based on natural ingredients that effectively help to eliminate varicose veins. The advantage of the cream is that it has no negative effect on the patient with varicose veins.

Rutin-based creams are effective at the cellular level, as the inflammatory process is suppressed quickly. The drug has a decongestant effect, improves vascular tone, regulates intravenous pressure and quickly eliminates pain.

Pills

The main effect of bioflavonoid-based tablets is to increase the properties of blood vessels, such as elasticity and tone, which in turn improves blood circulation and prevents blood clots. Thanks to the ingestion of these drugs, a phenomenon such as venous stasis, the permeability of venous vessels is eliminated.

Effective folk remedies for varicose veins

Cabbage.Even our ancestors used a variety of folk remedies to treat diseases like varicose veins. One of them is the treatment with cabbage leaves. The effectiveness of this vegetable lies in the fact that cabbage is able to quickly relieve inflammation, due to the vitamins and microelements it contains. As a rule, white cabbage leaves are used to treat varicose veins in the form of compresses. To make a medicinal compress, you will need a cabbage leaf, which must first be properly removed. After that, one side of the leaf is greased with vegetable oil and applied to the inflamed area for one day (attached with a bandage). The course of treatment is 1 month.

Ginger.This herb, used in cooking, can be used to treat varicose veins as an external and internal medicine. Ginger tea helps to deal with almost any disease at any stage of its development, including varicose veins. You can also make ginger compresses. To do this, you need to grate a piece of ginger root, mix with natural honey and apply to the affected area for 3-4 hours.

Kalina.Like ginger, viburnum can be used to treat varicose veins as a fortified drink and as an effective compress. To prepare the compress, the berries must be rubbed until they are pasty, put a prepared bandage or gauze on and applied to the problem area. It is best to do this compress at night.

The initial stage of varicose veins - the first symptoms

Today, varicose veins are one of the most common dangerous diseases, both among women and men. According to WHO statistics, varicose veins in the lower limbs can lead to death from thrombophlebitis, trophic ulcers and cancers associated with them.

Every patient needs to know about the causes, symptoms and stages of the disease to prevent serious consequences of this pathology.

Reasons and stages of development

Varicose veins occur as a result of pathologies of the venous walls and the malfunction of the venous valves, whose task is to transport blood enriched with carbon dioxide from the lower extremities to the lungs for gas exchange.

As a result of inadequate blood flow and valve dysfunction, blood accumulates in the vessels, the pressure in the leg veins increases, which leads to the bulging of the weak venous wall. This is how varicose veins develop.

There are several factors that can cause illness. This includes:

  1. Heredity.
  2. Obesity.
  3. Having bad habits.
  4. Pregnancy.
  5. Taking hormone drugs for a long time.
  6. Cardiovascular diseases that lead to blood clots.
  7. Sedentary lifestyle that causes blood to stagnate.
  8. Long-term occupations.
  9. Walking in high heels.

Under the influence of these factors, diseases arise in the legs, which develop in various stages. Each of them is characterized by specific clinical manifestations.There are 4 stages of varicose veins in medical practice:

  • varicose veins at an early stage, illustrated above, passwith virtually no symptoms. A person has only a predominant feeling of heaviness in the legs, slight swelling and pain. Small spider veins begin to appear on the skin of the thighs and legs;
  • grade 1 varicose veins, which are also shown in the photo, are characterized by frequent cramps in the calf muscles, a burning sensation that spreads from the lower leg to the sole of the foot andswelling of the ankles;
  • for high schoolcharacterized by an abundance of spider veins, severe edema, constant pain in the legs, an increase in the area of ​​protruding veins;
  • third degreeindicates the skin's involvement in the disease process: it becomes scaly, thin, often pigmented near the ankle. The risk of thrombosis is very high. the veins are very enlarged and dilated. The patient, in addition to the pain, is haunted by a constant burning sensation, eczema and dermatitis on the skin of the lower limbs, forming deep ulcers when the skin is injured.

IMPORTANT! If treatment is not started in the early stages, the disease is very difficult to treat conservatively in the future and threatens the patient with danger of death!

The first symptoms of varicose veins

The first symptoms of varicose veins in the legs are difficult to diagnose.The patient confuses them for some time with fatigue and muscle tension. With these sensations, especially if there was no serious load on the legs before, you should seek a specialist, as you can cure the disease at an early stage, without resorting to extensive surgery and procedures. Phlebologists and surgeons are involved in the treatment of varicose veins.

The following symptoms indicate the first signs of varicose veins:

  1. Constant weight on the legs. This is due to impaired circulation in the legs due to dysfunction of the venous valves. With that, the pressure in the vein goes up a lot, it stretches even more and causes pain.
  2. Edema of the lower limbs. The symptom manifests itself as a result of a large load on the venous system. If the pain in the veins and the redness of the skin above it join the swelling, we can talk about the development of thrombophlebitis - an extremely dangerous complication of varicose veins.
  3. An increase in leg circumferenceup to 1 cm at night is associated with edema.
  4. Sensations of painintensify with effort and disappear the next morning.
  5. Spider veinson the legs and thighs. Some patients consider them a cosmetic defect. Their appearance indicates the pathology of the great varicose vein that feeds them. Only ultrasound diagnostics can confirm or deny this.
  6. Presence of protruding veins.

At first, the first signs of varicose veins in the legs disappear quickly if the legs rest in a comfortable position. However,this should alert the patient, because it is a safe symptom of the onset of the disease.

Then, the patient may feel a burning sensation in the veins. If you do not pay enough attention to these symptoms, the patient may experience cramps in the calf muscles at night and fatigue in the legs below the knees.

WARNING! Symptoms of the initial varicose veins are similar to other diseases - flat feet and osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine. That is why it is so important to consult a phlebologist to exclude other diagnoses and start treatment in a timely manner!

Diagnosis and treatment

As a rule, the varicose veins in the initial stage, which are illustrated in the photo,are painless. The patient, who according to statistics, women suffer from varicose veins twice as often as men, seeks help from a doctor on the vascular network. The doctor performs an examination and prescribes the studies necessary to assess the degree of impaired venous circulation.

Diagnosis

For this, a general blood test may be prescribed, which will show the presence or absence of thrombocytopenia, a biochemical blood test to detect liver problems, as well as vascular ultrasound.

Shows the pathology of the vascular wall. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the patient is referred for phlebography radiography, which determines the location of the venous lesion.

After research, the doctor prescribes a treatment that can prevent the transition from the initial stage of the varicose veins to the subsequent ones.

For this, the underlying disease is treated- endocrine, cardiovascular, etc. Then, the risk factors are eliminated, only then is the patient offered to change their lifestyle, diet and abandon bad habits.

Medical treatment is not provided at an early stage ofvaricose veins. Experts believe it is enough to wear compression underwear - special stockings and tights or elastic bandages, which should be applied to the legs on waking up and worn throughout the day. This therapy can evenly distribute the load on the legs and improve blood circulation.

Forms of the disease

The type of vascular insufficiency depends on the veins that reached the disease, the prevalence of the process and the location. There are varicose veins:

  • reticular (small vascular);
  • segmental (focal)
  • ;
  • perforating
  • (injury to the connective veins);
  • main (pathology of a small or large vein under the skin).

Each type of varicose vein has characteristics in terms of external manifestations. The presence of complications depends on the stage of the disease.

Reticular shape

Of all the known types of varicose veins, this is the easiest. The disease mainly affects the female legs; men are rarely affected by this pathology.

In the photo of varicose veins at an early stage, the reticular shape can only be determined by strengthening the vascular pattern. It is a bluish mesh of small venous fragments with a diameter not exceeding 3 mm. Most often, it is located on the thighs in the area of ​​the lateral surfaces. First, several asterisk-like fragments appear, then larger areas are affected.

This form of varicose veins is often called cosmetic, it is not dangerous for blood flow, but it causes an aesthetic inconvenience to women. Reticular varicose veins in the legs can cause:

This form is the most treatable. One of the most effective methods of treating these varicose veins is microscopic sclerotherapy. It is not dangerous and painless. But patients often do not consider the manifestations of spider veins as a serious reason to contact a phlebologist. In this case, the disease turns into a chronic pathology. It can cause bleeding from superficial vessels.

The reticular form of varicose veins requires mandatory medical consultation. This will prevent complications from occurring.

Segment form

This type of varicose veins can appear in the early stages of the disease. In the segmental form, larger vessels with a diameter of 3 mm or more are affected. But the disease is focal, only one or several tributary veins lose their tone. This type of pathology is characterized by the absence of reverse blood secretion, which facilitates therapy.

If you look at the photo of the varicose veins in the legs in a segmented way, you can see the swollen branches of the main leg vein. These are the tax ships.

The treatment of the disease is conservative. With late treatment and formation of tributary nodules, miniflebectomy can be used. The segmental varicose veins are located on the anteromedial and posterior aspect of the leg and in the popliteal fossa.

Treatment of varicose veins

Trunk

This pathology affects the major and minor major veins. Large, suffers several times more than small. In the photo of varicose veins in the legs, the protrusion of the large vessels is clearly visible in the lower leg, on the sides of the thighs and on the feet. The vascular wall in the legs is tense and nodular formations are visible.

The disease continues with symptoms characteristic of chronic circulatory failure. Due to the defeat of the vascular valves, reflux occurs (reverse discharge). Normally, the blood moves in one direction. If the valves are insufficient, they do not close completely and the vessels are overloaded. Therefore, the veins stretch and lose their elasticity.

Varicose veins of the trunk require serious treatment. Minor surgeries and conservative methods are used more often.

In the absence of adequate therapy, the main varicose veins in the legs are complicated by thrombophlebitis and thrombosis.

Piercing shape

Deep veins and saphenous veins are present in the legs. They are connected to each other by vessels, which are called perforating vessels.

These are no less important veins than the main ones. Their defeat leads to insufficient blood circulation in the legs. The blood is not completely directed into the bloodstream. This contributes to stagnation and thrombus formation.

  • an image of varicose veins in the legs with lesions in the perforating veins clearly shows the presence of swollen vessels;
  • bumps and bruises are visible in some places; the skin becomes darker;
  • skin rash and scratches may occur.

The location of this form is varied and depends on the location of the affected vein. Those are the legs, thighs and ankles. Sometimes the vessels protrude even in the Achilles tendon and under the knee. Treatment is usually surgical, but with single foci, minimally invasive methods are possible.

Stages of varicose veins in the legs

Phlebologists around the world annually hold forums and seminars dedicated to varicose veins. The types and forms of the disease change constantly. Experts describe the stages of varicose veins in different ways. Their number is constantly changing. The last approved classification contains seven grades:

  • First or Null. It is not manifested by external signs. Patients only complain of weight, fatigue and swelling. Sometimes, it can disturb the recurrent appearance of seizures.
  • Second. In the photo of the second stage, it is possible to clearly see the vascular network in the popliteal cups and thighs. The symptoms do not change.
  • Third. The protrusions on the vessels are clearly visible, especially during exercise or sitting. In addition to the veins, blue nodules can be seen on the legs. Patients experience pain and tension.
  • Fourth. The appearance of edema is added to the swollen veins. At night, the legs are full and in the morning everything returns to normal. The swelling can cause numbness or a tingling sensation in your legs.
  • Fifth. Metabolic processes are disrupted. There is not enough tissue nutrition and trophic changes are formed in the skin. They can appear as dry spots, redness and scratches. The skin around the veins becomes darker. Thrombophlebitis may occur.
  • Sixth. The photo of this stage is different from the others. Shows pronounced trophic ulcers in the veins of the lower extremities. As a result of massive treatment, wounds heal by primary intention.
  • Seventh. The last step. In other classifications, it is called decompensation. The most negative result of the disease. Ulcers that do not heal form on the legs. They can get wet and fester. This degree requires urgent hospital treatment. It can be complicated by sepsis and thromboembolism.

Types of varicose veins in the legs, complicated by a violation of the integrity of the skin and the addition of a secondary infection, can threaten the patient's life.

There is another classification that provides three stages of varicose veins:

  • compensation. It manifests itself only with local symptoms (pain, convulsions, severity). No external changes are observed in the blood vessels.
  • Subcompensation. External signs of moderate varicose veins develop. Spider veins and signs of segmental lesions appear.
  • Decompensation. Serious consequences of chronic venous insufficiency. Trophic injuries, ulcers and thrombosis.

General characteristics and causes of varicose veins

In a healthy person, venous blood rises from the legs to the heart under the influence of pressure, which in a normal state is sufficient to overcome gravity. When this mechanism is disturbed, the body is forced to increase the pressure to push the blood upwards.

As a result of this process, valve insufficiency occurs, which is characterized by the flow of blood to the superficial veins from the deep veins. As the pressure inside the vessels increases, their walls lose elasticity, stretch and deplete, which leads to the formation of visible bluish subcutaneous nodules.

Reasons for the development of varicose veins in the lower extremities:

  • Increased levels of progesterone in the woman's body. This hormone has a negative effect on the state of the venous walls and valves, making them weak and unprotected.
  • Congenital abnormalities of valves or vein walls, lack of connective tissue, low permeability of deep veins, genetic predisposition.
  • Neoplasms located in the legs, in the abdominal cavity.
  • Lower limb injuries.
  • Diseases of the endocrine system.
  • Thrombophlebitis.
  • Joint diseases - osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
  • Prolonged use of hormonal contraceptives.
  • A sedentary lifestyle that usually leads to congestion in the legs.
  • Increased intra-abdominal pressure. It usually occurs with lung disease or frequent constipation.
  • Too much.
  • Wear tight clothes and shoes.
  • Presence in the diet of large amounts of high calorie and fatty foods, absence of vegetable fibers.
  • Smoking, frequent alcohol consumption.

During pregnancy, BPDV occurs with particular frequency, since during this periodthere are global changes in the hormonal background, as well as an increase in body weight.

Men suffer from this disease if theirlifestyle is associated with hard physical workor prolonged standing - machine operators, loaders, etc. Varicose veins in the legs can also occur as a result of some sports activities.

Varicose veins need urgent treatment, the absence of which can result in serious consequences: development of thrombophlebitis, hemorrhage of the venous ganglia and trophic ulcer that can cause amputation of the leg.

10.11.2020