What is saphenous varicose vein? Saphenous varicose vein is a common disease that can develop all year round, mostly because the saphenous vein valve loses its “one-way valve” and the blood flows backwards, causing stasis in the saphenous vein, presenting a worm-like vein mass or a greenish-purple line of blood vessels. Female patients are troubled by the hot summer and dare not wear skirts and bare legs, and when the condition is serious, the ankle will be blackened and ulcerated, and the bleeding will not stop easily, which seriously affects people’s health. Therefore, we should pay great attention to the prevention and early treatment.
Who are more likely to suffer from saphenous varicose veins?
Varicose veins are closely related to occupation and lifestyle habits, those who need to stand or sit for long periods of time at work, such as
You spend more than 2 hours a day standing or sitting
You are pregnant
You feel sore and tired in your legs after a long day of work
You have visible dilated capillaries on your legs that do not protrude from the body surface
According to the survey, the incidence of varicose veins in China is increasing year by year, and the incidence of varicose veins is trending towards a younger population. Epidemiological statistics show that the incidence rate is about 25% or more, and can be as high as 38% in individual occupations such as primary and secondary school teachers, shopping malls, bank clerks and manual laborers. Its high incidence has seriously affected the health of people. Saphenous varicose vein has become a serious public health problem and has attracted great attention from all over the world.
What are the causes of saphenous varicose veins?
The causes of simple saphenous varicose veins are
Congenital weakness of the vein wall
Venous valve insufficiency: Insufficient closure of the venous valves → venous blood regurgitation → stasis → foot swelling → pigmentation → local nutritional disorders → ulcer formation.
Must saphenous varicose veins be a simple superficial vein problem?
It is not correct to think so. There are many other causes that can cause saphenous varicose veins, such as
Primary deep vein valve insufficiency in the lower extremities: causes blood to flow backwards, producing venous stasis and high pressure. Patients exhibit severe clinical symptoms of swelling and distending pain in the lower extremities, and the skin of the lower extremities may appear red or cyanotic when standing. In the later stages of the disease, the traffic vein valves in the foot and shoe area are disrupted and rapid trophic changes in the skin occur, with desquamation, atrophy, hyperpigmentation, and eczema and ulcer formation.
Lower extremity deep vein thrombosis sequelae: Patients appear uniform and consistent swelling of the limbs, when the lower extremity deep veins are obstructed by thrombus, forming a return obstruction, after which the thrombus is mechanized and reopened, the venous valves are destroyed and the blood is refluxed; manifested as lower extremity superficial static varicose, lower extremity edema, heavy and swollen or sore feeling of the limbs and nutritional changes.
Arteriovenous fistula: mostly occurs after trauma, occasionally congenital; tremor and continuous vascular murmur can be felt and heard at the site of arteriovenous fistula; when the limb is picked up, the blood in the varicose veins of the lower limb is not easily emptied
Congenital venous malformation bone hypertrophy syndrome (Klippel-Trenavnay syndrome): this disease is a congenital vascular malformation, varicose veins are more extensive, the affected limb is often thicker than the healthy side growth
Budd-Chiari syndrome: post-hepatic portal hypertension due to hepatic venous outflow tract disorder, often with varicose veins in the back and lumbar region and bilateral lower limbs
Doctor’s suggestion: If you have varicose veins and at the same time ①young ②lower limb edema ③bilateral lower limb varicose veins, any of the three, we suggest you go to a specialist for further treatment.
What are the clinical manifestations of saphenous varicose veins?
We can’t live and work normally without two healthy legs, and varicose veins are harmful to this.
Early manifestations.
After standing for a long time, the legs are sore and swollen, easily fatigued and weak
Generally speaking, the symptoms are lighter when you wake up in the morning, and they are worse at night after a busy day at work.
Some patients have numbness and mild pain on the inner side of the ankle (also known as the “neck of the foot”)
There is a worm-like blue varicose vein mass in both lower legs
Due to the general lack of awareness of health care, varicose veins are often in the middle and late stages when they are seen in the hospital.
Late stage manifestations.
Heavy soreness and swelling in both legs after standing for a long time, even affecting work
Both lower legs are covered with varicose vein masses
Eczema and ulcers on the feet and ankles, and ulcers on the feet and ankles due to the development of varicose veins in the middle and late stages – commonly known as “old rotten feet”
What are the risks of saphenous varicose veins?
Varicose veins, especially those with venous insufficiency of lower limbs, cause swelling, soreness and weakness of lower limbs in early stage, which affect normal work and life, and the protruding blood vessels in the shape of earthworms in lower limbs also seriously affect the beauty of lower limbs; in the middle and late stage of varicose veins, ulcers, oozing, bleeding and infection of lower leg skin appear, which cause great negative impact on patients from psychological and physiological aspects and seriously affect quality of life.
How to prevent saphenous varicose vein in early stage?
The key to preventing saphenous varicose veins is to use your legs in a healthy way, which means that people who need to stand or sit for a long time should not stay in one position for a long time. You should move your legs or change your position every 20 minutes or so. In addition, cycling, brisk walking and running can prompt the calf muscles to contract, speeding up venous blood flow and relieving venous pressure.
How should early varicose veins be treated?
Early varicose veins generally choose conservative treatment.
Wear medical elastic stockings, which are made according to the physiological pressure gradient of the lower limbs, thus protecting the veins of the lower limbs when standing up
Elevate the affected limb and avoid prolonged standing or sitting.
If you want to eliminate the symptoms of varicose veins for cosmetic reasons or to eliminate them completely, surgery is the only effective way.
Do I have to have surgery for intermediate to advanced varicose veins?
Not necessarily, but conservative treatment is also possible. The main methods are
Oral medications to reduce swelling: Diosmin, Mazeline
Actively change medication and avoid bumping to promote ulcer healing
Wearing medical compression stockings to reduce venous pressure and promote blood return
The above treatment can improve the symptoms and slow down the development of the disease, but it can only achieve short-term results. It can be said that by the middle and late stages of the disease, the varicose veins have already undergone irreversible changes and no conservative treatment can solve the problem at the root. So choosing surgery to completely remove the diseased vein is an aggressive treatment.
There are many surgical methods, the traditional high ligation and trunk stripping have a long history and are really effective; laser endovenous therapy and sclerotherapy are both minimally invasive techniques that have emerged in recent years, with the advantage of less trauma and faster recovery. In general, it seems that each treatment method has its own characteristics and needs to be carefully evaluated and chosen by the surgeon; no single method can be applied to all patients.
What do patients need to be aware of after saphenous varicose vein surgery and can they continue to exercise after surgery?
Postoperative bed rest and elevation of the affected limb
Pay attention to moving the feet to prevent deep vein thrombosis
Get out of bed about 6 hours after surgery to promote postoperative recovery
Generally speaking, you can eat and drink normally on the same day or the next day after surgery.
Continue to wear medical elastic stockings for three months after discharge to reduce postoperative recurrence
After recovery, it does not affect life and exercise