The most common symptom of varicose veins is a burning or stinging sensation from the feet to the upper thighs. Almost 75% of women and almost 40% of men in America will face them at some point.
Factors that increase your chance of developing varicose veins
• Women are almost twice as likely to develop them. Multiple births, birth control pills, and menopause-fighting hormones are reasons women are more susceptible.
• Being overweight
• Having family members who had varicose veins
• Jobs that require you to stand or lift heavy objects.
• Americans who live over 50 years double their chances of having varicose veins.
other symptoms
• Swelling in the legs and feet
• Feeling of tiredness in the legs
• Burning or itching in the legs
• Pain in the legs
• Inability to keep your legs still, especially at night
Consequences of varicose veins
• Pain when walking, sitting or standing that causes you to miss work
• Blood clots
• Ulcers on the skin
Diagnosis
• Visual examination by your doctor
• Tactile examination by your doctor
• Ultrasound that will show how well circulation is working in the legs
Treatment
• Compression socks
• Exercise
• Lose weight
• Support the legs to reduce swelling.
• Not standing or sitting for long periods of time.
severe cases
If your condition does not improve with the above measures, the following treatments are available.
• Vein stripping is the oldest, most invasive treatment. It requires surgery because it includes the removal of varicose veins.
• The Endovenus laser treatment boils the blood in the vein and then seals the vein. While this procedure is easier on the patient than vein stripping, there is still a lot of recovery time involved.
• The VNS closure procedure uses radiofrequency to seal the vein. This is much less invasive than the previous methods. It is done on an outpatient basis. It also has a faster recovery time than other options. These factors make the VNS closure procedure the most sensible option for patients.
Do not ignore stinging sensations in the legs. See your doctor and remember that if you have varicose veins, help is available. If preliminary treatment doesn’t work, the VNUS closure procedure can repair your veins with little discomfort or pain.
