Causes of varicose veins Varicose veins are usually caused by weak vein walls and valves. Weakened valves Inside your veins are tiny one-way valves that open to let the blood through and then close to prevent it flowing backwards. Sometimes, the walls of the veins can become stretched and lose their elasticity, causing the valves to weaken. If the valves do not function properly, this can cause the blood to leak and flow backwards. If this happens, the blood will collect in your veins, which will become swollen and enlarged. The reasons why the walls of the veins stretch and valves in your veins weaken are not fully understood. Some people develop the condition for no obvious or apparent reason. Increased risk A number of things can increase your likelihood of developing varicose veins, including: • gender • genetics • age • being overweight • occupation • being pregnant • other conditions Gender Women are more likely to be affected by varicose veins than men. Research suggests this may be because female hormones tend to relax the walls of veins, making the valves more prone to leaking. Hormones are chemicals produced by the body. Genetics Your risk of developing varicose veins is increased if a close family member has the condition. This suggests varicose veins may be partly caused by your genes (the units of genetic material you inherit from your parents). See genetics for more information about how you inherit your physical and behavioural characteristics. Age As you get older, your veins start to lose their elasticity and the valves inside them stop working as well. Being overweight Being overweight puts extra pressure on your veins, which means they have to work harder to send the blood back to your heart. This can put increased pressure on the valves, making them more prone to leaking. The impact of body weight on the development of varicose veins appears to be more significant in women. You can use the healthy weight calculator to check whether you are overweight. Occupation Some research suggests jobs that require long periods of standing may increase your risk of getting varicose veins. This is because your blood does not flow as easily when you are standing for long periods of time. Pregnancy During pregnancy, the amount of blood increases to help support the developing baby. This puts extra strain on your veins. Increased hormone levels during pregnancy also cause the muscular walls of the blood vessels to relax, which also increases your risk. Varicose veins may also develop as the womb (uterus) begins to grow. As the womb expands it puts pressure on veins in your pelvic area, which can sometimes cause them to become varicose. Although being pregnant can increase your risk of developing varicose veins, most women find their veins significant improve after the baby is born. See the pregnancy guide for more information about preventing varicose veins during pregnancy. Home Remedy Treatments for Dealing with Varicose Veins In addition to being unsightly, varicose veins can be quite painful. Follow the home remedies below to help postpone their development or ease any discomfort. Check your family tree. This vascular problem runs in families, although the reason is unknown. Some experts believe there is a weakness in the gene that governs the development of the veins. This may lead to defects in the structure of valves and veins or, in some people, a decrease in the number of valves in the veins, causing the few that are there to get overloaded in their duties. If you do find a history of varicose veins in your family, the sooner you follow preventive home remedies the better. Get moving. While exercise may not prevent varicose veins, doctors agree that physical activity can lessen the symptoms by improving circulation, which prevents blood from pooling. As working muscles in the lower limbs contract, they push blood through the veins, back to the heart. To get your legs moving, almost any exercise that involves the legs will do, from aerobics to strengthening to spot-toning activities, say the experts. Ride a bike, take an aerobics class, go for a walk or a run, use the stair machine in the gym or climb the stairs at work during your lunch hour -- these are all good exercises for the legs. Spot-toning exercises, such as leg raises, that specifically build up the muscles in the buttocks, thighs, and lower legs are also recommended. Lose weight. Not only does obesity tax just about every system in the body, but carrying around extra baggage makes most people less active, which means their leg muscles do less work. As a result, overweight people usually cant pump blood from their lower limbs back to the heart efficiently. In addition, an overweight persons blood vessels carry more blood than a thinner persons, so the strain is greater on the vessels themselves. Eat a balanced diet. Besides helping you maintain proper weight, a balanced diet can give you nutrients that may actually help prevent varicose veins. For example, protein and vitamin C are both components of collagen, part of the tissue in the veins and valves. If the collagen is in good shape, the tissues are likely to be more resilient. A balanced diet that includes a wide variety of foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean sources of protein, is the best way to get the right amounts of valuable nutrients. However, while a healthy diet can strengthen your vascular system, it cant cure varicose veins. Take a break from standing. When youre standing in one place, the blood in your leg veins must not only make a long uphill journey against the force of gravity, it has to do so without the pumping assistance that expanding-and-contracting leg muscles can provide. (Its a little like trying to get up a creek without a paddle!) As a result, the blood tends to pool in the lower legs, leading to the development of varicose veins. If possible, take frequent breaks to walk around or, preferably, to sit with your feet up. And while youre standing in one spot, shift your weight from one leg to the other and/or occasionally get up on tiptoes; it will engage your leg muscles in the task of pushing blood up toward your heart. Prop up your legs. Putting your feet up is good, but elevating them above the level of your heart is even better. Its a way to use gravity to help the blood move from your feet and ankles back to your heart. Doctors have been recommending elevation to relieve leg pain and swelling for centuries. As a matter of fact, Hippocrates in ancient Greece wrote of its benefits. So lie down on a couch and prop your feet on the arm or put three or four pillows under them (or lie on the floor and rest your feet on the seat of a chair). Cant lie down? Sit on one chair and prop your feet on the back of another chair. When possible, try to elevate your legs for ten minutes once an hour. But dont sit too long, either. Some experts theorize that even sitting for extended periods can contribute to varicose veins. Bent knees and hips, the thinking goes, complicate and slow the return of blood to your heart. So its very important that on a long car or plane ride or during a day of sitting at the office (or at home, for that matter) you get up and stretch your legs once in a while. When you need a break, try this rejuvenator: Stand on your toes and flex the heel up and down ten times. Dont be crossed. Sitting with your legs crossed can slow circulation to and from your lower legs. Check your seat. The same can happen if you sit in a chair with a seat that is too deep for your leg length: The front edge of the chair digs into the back of your knees, compressing blood vessels and restricting blood flow. Get a chair that fits your body better, or, if thats not possible, scoot your backside away from the chairs back until the pressure on your legs is relieved. Flex your feet. Contracting the muscles in your feet may help force blood upward and out of the veins. While seated -- and even while your legs are elevated -- try these three exercises to really get the blood pumping out of your feet and back to your heart: • The Ankle Pump: Flex your foot up and down as you would when you pump a piano pedal or gas pedal. • Ankle Circles: Rotate your feet clockwise and counterclockwise. • Heel Slips: With your knees bent, slide your heels back and forth. Sleep with elevated feet. For those with chronic swelling in the lower legs, it may help put a few pillows under your feet while you are sleeping. Lower your heels. Shoes with lower heels require your calf muscles to do more work -- a plus for better circulation -- than high-heeled shoes. Wear tennis shoes. If your feet habitually swell, it may be worthwhile to wear tennis shoes or other lace-up shoes that can be opened up or loosened to alleviate the pressure and allow for freer circulation. Loosen up. Your clothing, that is. Stay away from pants or other clothing that are tight at the waist or groin; they can act almost as tourniquets that restrict blood flow at these important circulation points. Consider stocking up on support. Ask your pharmacist or doctor about special compression stockings designed to improve circulation in the legs. How do they work? They apply more pressure to the lower legs than to the thigh area. Since more pressure is exerted on the lower legs, blood is more readily pushed up toward the heart. The stockings compression on the legs is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), and ranges from 20 mm Hg for weaker support to 60 mm Hg for strong support. (In comparison, the support hose you can buy at any department store provide pressure of 14 to 17 mm Hg.) The stronger versions require a doctors prescription. The lower-strength stockings are sometimes recommended for pregnant women. These days, compression stockings come in a variety of styles -- below the knee, midthigh, full thigh, and waist high -- and an increasing variety of colors as well as different strengths. A possible downside: The stronger stockings have a tendency to feel hot. They can also be relatively expensive, although you should check with your insurer to see if any or all of their cost is covered. The stockings are available in most pharmacy and medical-supply stores as well as through mail order and Web sites. Its important that the stockings fit properly, however, so you may want to ask your pharmacist for assistance with measuring. Slip into spandex pants. Like nonprescription, store-bought support hose, pants made from this elastic material apply pressure to the legs and may help somewhat. Be sure, however, that they arent so tight in the groin or waist that they cut into your skin and limit circulation. Cover up the blues. If youve stopped wearing shorts or going to the beach because youre embarrassed about your varicose veins, make them disappear. There are products specially made to cover the blue vein lines that make you want to take cover. Available in a variety of shades to match your skin, the cream is applied by hand and blended. Leg Magic by Covermark Cosmetics is waterproof and even has a sun protection factor (SPF) of 16 to protect your legs from the suns harmful rays. Wearing stockings over the cream wont make it fade or rub off, and you can even go for a swim without washing away all your cover. While these types of products obviously wont fix the veins and relieve physical discomfort, they can make you feel better about the way your legs look. Consider the effects of estrogen. The hormone is generally believed to have a detrimental effect on the collagen and connective tissue of the veins. If you have varicose veins or have a strong family history of them and you are considering oral contraceptive or hormone replacement therapy, you may want to specifically ask about this potential side effect when you discuss the pros and cons of such therapy with your doctor. While estrogen probably doesnt have a direct effect on varicose veins, the hormone can increase the risk of embolisms, or blood clots, which interfere with blood circulation. Since genetics plays a large part in whether or not you get varicose veins, theres not a whole lot you can do to avoid them. But by following the home remedies in this article, you may be able to hold them off for a bit and ease some of the discomfort when they do appear. Excercise Walking: The simplest exercise is to walk more. Get your legs moving. Walking is a great way to encourage blood circulation in your legs. Instead of taking the elevator or escalator use the stairs. Even going for a short walk around the block before going to work is enough to vastly improve symptoms. Pedaling: Begin lying on the floor, flat on your back. Place your hands out to your sides, if you prefer you can place them beneath your buttocks to prevent strain to the lower back. Lift your legs off the floor, and pedal them as if you were pedaling a bicycle. The more you elevate your legs, the more you will increase blood circulation. Reversely keeping your legs lower will increase resistance on your abdominals, toning your stomach. Continue this exercise until you feel the blood circulating through your legs and any existing pain has begun to abate. Leg Lifts: Unlike leg lifts performed at the gym, which are usually designed to tone your inner or outer thighs, these leg lifts are designed to help ameliorate blood flow through the entire leg. Lie on your back, placing your hands beneath your buttocks to eliminate lower back strain. Keeping your buttocks pressed down, and your lower back against the floor, lift one leg at a time and hold in an elevated pose perpendicular to the floor. Hold this pose until you feel the blood begin to flow back up from your feet, your calves, and your thighs. Repeat the motion with your other leg. For ultimate relaxation, lie on the floor with your buttocks almost touching a wall. Rest both your legs in an elevated pose resting against the wall, and feel the circulation in your legs improve. Alternately, you can raise both legs and rotate your ankles to further improve leg circulation. Knee bends with ankle flexon: Lie again on the floor on your back. Slowly pull one knee into your chest, holding onto your leg behind your knee (holding on top of the kneecap puts undue pressure on this delicate joint). While your leg is in this position, point and flex your foot several times. Do this slowly and forcefully – don’t let your flap foot around loosely, but rather tighten the muscles of the calves and the tendons around your ankle. Repeat with the opposite leg. Because varicose veins are caused by genetics, there is no way to completely prevent them. But improving your circulation and muscle tone can reduce your risk of developing varicose veins or getting additional ones. The same measures you can take to treat the discomfort from varicose veins at home can help prevent varicose veins, including: * Watching your weight * Eating a high-fiber, low-salt diet * Avoiding high heels and tight hosiery * Elevating your legs * Avoid cross legged sitting * Changing your sitting or standing position regularly
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 10:39:00 +0000