Whether you’re worried about developing varicose veins in the future or trying to deal with the ones you have currently, don’t feel like there isn’t hope for improvement. It might surprise you to learn that preventing varicose veins doesn’t take a ton of concerted effort. We’ll show you a few simple lifestyle changes that help prevent varicose veins to give you the edge in the fight against them.
Many of us work pretty sedentary jobs these days. Plenty of us are now stuck sitting at desks or even in our home offices. Try not to stay in the same sitting or standing position for too long while you’re working. You want to keep the blood in your legs circulating, not pooling which can cause or worsen varicose veins. Simple stretching and bending your legs a few times throughout the day can keep your blood from pooling.
If you feel that your blood is prone to pooling in your legs and you are often sedentary, compression garments like stockings can be a life changer. Compression stockings place pressure on certain places in your legs that encourage blood to flow unimpeded. While moving your legs is still essential, these compression garments can continue to help even when you are sitting or standing still.
Your salt, or more specifically sodium, intake should be on your radar if you’re worried about varicose veins. A diet heavy on sodium means that your body may retain much more water, contributing to issues like varicose veins. This extra fluid you’re holding can also pool in your legs, which is painful whether or not you already have varicose veins.
While compression garments are carefully designed for blood flow, tight-fitting clothes are definitely not. Any clothing that may restrict your blood flow from your legs to your heart could contribute to varicose veins. Body-shaping garments such as girdles or very tight jeans can reduce blood flow and exacerbate issues caused by varicose veins.
Adding more aerobic exercise to your day is one simple lifestyle change to prevent varicose veins. Aerobic activities such as walking, running, and cycling help strengthen your heart and improve your body’s blood flow, helping to prevent varicose veins from developing. In contrast, anaerobic exercises, such as weightlifting, could strain your veins and worsen the problem.
If you’re searching for a varicose vein clinic that can help, you’re already in the right place. The Vein Company can assist you with preventing and treating varicose veins if you’re looking for the best support possible.
It’s essential to have the proper medical coverage for any condition. Some conditions underlie more serious illnesses that patients may not be aware of. However, a cosmetic procedure can cause some confusion as to whether insurance covers it or not. For example, you may wonder if varicose vein treatment is covered by insurance. Fortunately, it does, but there are some other considerations to know. Read on to learn more.
Varicose veins are a medical condition in which the leg veins enlarge, leading to discoloration or physical abnormality, such as bulging or twisting. Symptoms include pain, discomfort, restless legs, muscle aches, or heaviness. They may indicate a more serious medical condition, specifically blog clots or leg ulcers. Varicose veins affect approximately 33 percent of women and 20 percent of men and result from aging, obesity, leg injuries, menopause, or pregnancy.
If you experience varicose veins, you’re likely wondering if varicose vein treatment is covered by insurance. The short answer is yes. Most insurance companies will process a claim for varicose veins if deemed medically necessary. Insurance companies will not cover treatment if the doctor considers it a cosmetic procedure. Therefore, claimants should have a medical diagnosis and a physician’s referral. Doing so often requires the patient to experience complications from leg ulcerations, ruptured veins, or blood clots. Get an ultrasound to determine a more serious medical condition if you have already tried preventative measures, such as exercise, weight loss, heat-cold packs, or other self-remedies. You may need to provide ultrasound results to your insurance company for them to process the claim.
Some employer exclusion policies exclude varicose veins from their coverage. If you’re uncertain, call your insurance company to ensure they cover it. You may also need to notify your employer to include varicose veins in their policy. Most treatment centers accept varicose vein insurance claims, but if you face any difficulties, call your insurance provider and explain the situation.
Fortunately, at the Vein Company, you don’t need to worry. We accept various insurance for varicose veins and other related vein conditions. As your go-to vein clinic, we ensure the best medical treatments for varicose, spider, and reticular veins. Fill out our new patient form to start, or call us today if you have any questions or concerns, and our team will happily assist you.
Let’s read all about tips to baby your veins!
While the holidays are filled with family, friends, and fun, they can also be a very stressful time, especially for your legs and varicose veins. All the long hours of shopping for gifts can take their toll, leaving your legs swelling and in pain.
It is important that, during the holiday season, you take time for yourself and give your veins the care and support they need. Following these three tips will make your holidays a little easier and your veins much happier.
Following a healthy diet during the holidays is never easy. While you don’t need to say no to every holiday treat, making sure you eat healthily and drink plenty of water is essential for good vein health.
Foods rich in bioflavonoids, such as spinach and broccoli, help to strengthen the walls of your veins and are beneficial when you have varicose veins. Avoid foods high in salt as this contributes to swelling.
When it comes to varicose veins, wearing compression stockings are often advised. These stockings constrict the veins and promote proper blood flow. While this restriction is designed in a specific way to promote good blood flow, wearing tight and restricting clothing, especially around the waist and stomach, can make the pain from varicose veins worse.
When choosing your outfit for the big holiday party, choose comfort over fashion and pick something that is non-restricting.
With varicose veins, the holiday season means you need to take the time to pamper your legs. Sitting or standing for long periods at a time can contribute to leg pain and swelling, so it is important to adjust what you are doing often.
Giving your legs a change of pace and a little pampering during your holiday shopping can offer relief to varicose veins.
Take time to sit and relax while shopping. If traveling long distances, make sure that you get up and walk during long periods of sitting. If you are traveling on a plane and can’t get up to walk, you can still stretch out your legs with simple exercises like flexing and pointing your feet or rotating your ankles.
In addition, take time throughout the day to elevate your feet. Raising your feet level slightly above your heart reduces the force of gravity and helps the blood flow easier through the veins.
Don’t let the stress of the holidays take its toll on your legs. The holidays are a time of giving and receiving gifts and the biggest gift you can give this holiday season is to yourself and your legs.
If the holidays do take a toll, the cooler months after the holidays are a good time to consider treatment for varicose veins and get you ready to show off your legs by summer.
Contact us online or call us today at one of our three locations in Sevierville, Johnson City, and Knoxville, Tennessee to learn more or to schedule an appointment.
We are excited to talk to you about 3 easy tricks to help prevent varicose veins
Varicose veins are those bulging, bluish cords that you can see just under the surface of the skin. Typically, they can be found on the legs and cause more than 30 million Americans to hide behind long pants each summer.
Varicose veins are the result of dysfunctional valves inside the vein that allow blood to pool and flow backward, expanding the vein. While varicose veins are usually painless, they can be painful and, if left untreated, can progress to a disease called Chronic Venous Insufficiency. While you can’t control risk factors like age and genetics, there are some things you can to help prevent varicose vein problems from developing or getting worse.
When it comes to your risk of varicose veins, gravity is not your friend. Standing or sitting for prolonged periods can make it harder for blood to travel in your legs as it fights against gravity. Maybe you notice swelling in your ankles or calves at the end of the day? Getting up and moving, even if it is a short walk around the living room, gets your blood circulating. Elevating your feet above your heart at least three times a day helps reduce the force of gravity and makes it easier for the blood to flow.
While you can’t change risk factors like your age or traits passed down from your mom, you can make an active choice to live a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercising helps to keep your muscles toned, your weight under control, and your blood flowing properly. Excess weight can cause pressure to build-up on the veins and restrict blood flow. Smoking, as well as alcohol use, is likely to increase your risk of developing varicose veins.
What you wear on a regular basis can increase your risk of developing varicose veins. Instead of fancy high-heeled shoes, reach for flats. These shows help work the calf muscles more, help increase muscle tone, and are better for circulation.
Keep the clothes you wear around your waist, groin, and legs as loose as possible. Tight clothes in these areas can restrict your blood flow and increase your risk of developing or worsening varicose veins.
Endovenous thermal ablation, also known as endovenous ablation, is a big-sounding name for a varicose vein treatment commonly called “laser therapy.”
Patients suffering from varicose veins or incompetent veins have a variety of options for treatment available to them, and one of the newer techniques utilizes a laser or high-frequency radio waves to create intense local heat in the varicose vein.
The use of radio waves or laser energy can cauterize and close the varicose veins in the legs.
There are several reasons patients prefer endovenous thermal ablation over other kinds of treatments. The procedure offers a variety of benefits making it one of the most convenient choices available.
Endovenous thermal ablation is less invasive than other kinds of treatments used to deal with varicose veins, and laser therapy leaves virtually no scars.
Patients who are suffering from pain caused by varicose veins will find that endovenous thermal ablation can relieve them of the pain and discomfort of varicose veins.
Endovenous thermal ablation will also dramatically reduce the unsightly disfigurement caused by varicose veins, leaving patients with virtually no scarring or staining.
Laser therapy is a relatively quick treatment that can be performed in an outpatient setting with only local anesthetic. It treats varicose veins by damaging the walls of the incompetent veins, shrinking them, and closing them off so that blood cannot flow through the varicose vein.
The treatment requires mapping the vein with an ultrasound. After a local anesthetic is given, a thin fiber is inserted through a tiny entry point. The thermal energy or laser is delivered to treat the faulty vein.
Patients should plan to have a relative or friend drive them home after the treatment, but recovery time is very fast. Patients are typically encouraged to walk immediately following the procedure and normal daily activities can be resumed immediately.
Some patients may experience minor, temporary soreness and bruising, but that can be treated with over-the-counter, non-aspirin, pain relievers.
Traditionally, with age comes a release of the classic signs of attractiveness like wrinkle-free arms, mole-free faces, and varicose-vein-free legs. But in spite of being associated with aging women, varicose veins are far from being a classic sign of aging beauty. While often seen as a primarily cosmetic concern that has an emotional effect on women these bulging veins affect both women, and men, and both youth and golden-aged people.
In spite of the cosmetic implications, the appearance of varicose veins is a treatable medical condition that flows throughout the world with little preference for gender. An estimated 56% of men are stricken with the condition, according to British research. The men and women who find themselves with bulging veins have more to worry about than appearance. Varicose veins can lead to conditions like skin-bleeding, skin discoloration, skin ulcers, and a “heavy leg” sensation.
This condition has a strong genetic component, where veins in the lower extremities expand when standing erect, and then do not return to their original position. Those genetically predisposed to weaker vein walls are at risk of developing varicose veins. Thankfully for men, overcoming a genetic predisposition for varicose veins doesn’t require anything outrageous. Experts say that exercising is the easiest way to maintain a consistently strong blood flow and keep the walls of the veins strong and in top condition.
Also, men who enjoy those pepperoni pizzas, flaming hot buffalo sauces, and tasty hot sausages may have to simmer those habits down in favor of a good, healthy vein flow. Research indicates that a high sodium diet most certainly contributes to the development of varicose veins.
And finally, the last and most difficult task performed in order to avoid those popping varicose veins: GET UP! While many of us have the misfortune of working in an office where our bums do most of the heavy lifting all day, this unhealthy habit leads to blood pooling and exaggerated veins. While doing a full-on bodybuilding session in the middle of the office is far from optional for most of us, 55-year-old you will thank you kindly or years to come for taking those extra bathroom breaks.
Because varicose veins are often marketed as a mere cosmetic problem strictly for older women, men of all ages are done a huge disservice. If symptoms of restless leg syndrome, pain in calves after walking, and muscle cramps, consistently affect you, regardless of gender, then non-cosmetic treatment plans might be the option.
The author is not a Doctor and does not claim to offer medical advice. Any and all information in this article should not be treated as such. Please consult your physician for further information.
Bulging veins are a common symptom of several conditions such as pregnancy, thrombophlebitis, and old age. They often come in the form of varicose veins and spider veins and usually appear in the legs. These veins can be swollen, distorted, dilated, and discolored.
Healthy veins have valves that keep blood from flowing down as it is pumped up through the leg. Bulging veins occur when these valves malfunction and allow blood to flow backward and pool into the vein. They can be caused by a number of conditions that affect the vein directly or not. For example, bulging veins are often caused by swollen veins or thrombophlebitis, but they can also be caused by more general states of being such as pregnancy, old age, obesity, or lack of movement.
Other causes of bulging veins could include blood clots, abdominal tumors, low body fat, or genetics.
There are an array of symptoms that can let you know you might have bulging veins. Bulging veins in the legs can cause:
Bulging veins don’t always affect only your legs, though. They can also go along with symptoms of other conditions that impact different areas of the body. You may experience symptoms of diabetes, for example, with skin ulcers near the feet, damage to blood vessels, or wounds that heal slowly. Other symptoms of pregnancy, obesity, or thrombophlebitis could also indicate bulging veins.
Sometimes, bulging veins can be a sign of a more serious medical condition. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience sores or ulcers on your ankles, thickening of the skin around your calf and ankle, warmth and redness in the leg, bleeding from an injury to your vein, or a pulling feeling in your leg. These could be symptoms of life-threatening conditions such as blood clots, tumors, or infections.
In the early stages, bulging veins may be treated with compression socks and exercise. This may also help future bulging veins from forming. More serious cases of bulging veins should be treated by a doctor. Common treatments include different therapies, medicines, and procedures, and are often minimally invasive.
Once you’ve determined you do have bulging veins, it’s important to treat them properly. Leaving bulging veins untreated increases your risk of potential complications such as skin ulcerations, blood clots, and increased swelling and pain.
Reduce your chances of forming bulging veins by keeping your body healthy. Exercise regularly and monitor your weight. This will ensure proper circulation and help you avoid putting too much pressure on your legs. Avoid crossing your legs or wearing high heels for long periods of time. This will help your blood flow through your veins properly. Maintain a healthy, low-salt diet rich in fiber. Though not all bulging veins can be avoided, following these tips will reduce your chances and keep you healthy.
*Author is not a doctor and does not claim to offer medical advice. Any and all information in the is article should not be treated as such. Please consult your physician for further information.
