Varicose veins are veins on the leg which are large, twisted, and ropelike, and can cause pain, swelling, or itching. They are an extreme form of telangiectasia, or spider veins.
Vein gymnastics in the barefoot park Dornstetten, Germany.
Varicose veins are more common in women than in men, and are linked with heredity. Other related factors are pregnancy, obesity, menopause, aging, and abdominal straining.
The irritation -- especially the itching -- of varicose veins can be controlled to an extent with either of the following:
anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen or aspirin -- but there is a risk of intestinal bleeding.
regular exercise, including vein gymnastics, wading through water and going barefoot.
Varicoseveins are enlarged, twisted, painful superficial veins resulting from poorly functioning valves.
Surgery such as vein stripping and ligation (removal of the varicosevein), or sclerotherapy of veins (injecting with a solution that causes scarring, which closes the vein) may be recommended.
Vein stripping is a very extensive procedure, and it is usually reserved for patients who are experiencing a lot of pain or who have skin ulcers.
These enlarged, swollen vessels are known as varicoseveins and are a direct result of increased pressure from reflux.
A common cause of varicoseveins in the legs is reflux in a thigh vein called the great saphenous, which leads to pooling in the visible varicosevein below.
Varicoseveins affect 1 out of 2 people age 50 and older, and 15 to 25% of all adults.
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