Why are Varicose Veins Found Primarily in the Legs? According to a Vascular Specialist
Why are Varicose Veins Found Primarily in the Legs?
Do you have large rope-like knots of blood vessels popping out of your skin? If so, you should know that you’re not alone. According to estimates, over 20% of all adults in the US suffer from varicose veins at some point in their lives.
Varicose veins are essentially swollen blood vessels that bulge out from the surface of the skin due to the accumulation of blood in the leg veins. Varicose veins are primarily found in the legs, though they can also be found in other body parts like the hips or thighs.
In addition to looking hideous and causing serious social anxiety, varicose veins are also extremely dangerous. In fact, if left untreated, varicose veins can progress rapidly and lead to a number of other vein diseases and complications like bleeding, leg ulcers, and deep vein thrombosis.
If you see varicose veins in your legs, you should consult a vein treatment clinic in NY immediately. In this article, we’ll discuss why are varicose veins found primarily in the legs and the best treatments for varicose veins in the legs.
Root Cause of Varicose Veins in the Legs
The root cause of varicose veins is a dangerous medical condition called chronic venous insufficiency. This is a vein disease in which the valves in the veins become diseased and stop serving their prime function, i.e., acting as one-way doors to facilitate blood circulation to the heart and prevent blood from flowing back down due to gravity.
And that’s basically the main reason varicose veins occur primarily in the legs — gravity.
Veins are blood vessels that carry blood from the limbs to the heart. Vein valves act as one-way doors to ensure blood flows smoothly to the heart from the limbs. When it comes to blood circulation in the legs, the veins have to essentially work against gravity to push blood up to the heart.
When your vein valves malfunction — or get “floppy” — there’s no mechanism in the leg veins to counteract the force of gravity. As such, blood flows back down and collects in the veins behind the valves. Over time, blood accumulates in the veins and pushes against the vein walls, leading to vein dilation, which, in turn, leads to the formation of varicose veins that bulge out from the surface of the skin.
This also explains why a sedentary lifestyle is a risk factor for varicose veins. If you spend too much time sitting or standing still, your muscles don’t contract the way they usually do and your legs have a harder time pushing blood up to the heart against the force of gravity. This increases your likelihood of getting varicose veins.
The reason stated above also proves why varicose veins aren’t found as commonly in the arms and other body parts. These other body parts are closer to the heart, so blood has to travel a shorter distance. Furthermore, your blood doesn’t have to move against the force of gravity in these other body parts. That’s why varicose veins are found primarily in the legs.
Home Remedies for Varicose Veins in the Legs
So now you understand why are varicose veins found primarily in the legs. But how can you minimize your chance of getting varicose veins? Can varicose veins be prevented? Can you treat varicose veins with home remedies?
Well, you can take certain measures to minimize the symptoms of varicose veins or minimize your likelihood of getting varicose veins. However, once you do get varicose veins, the only way to treat them permanently is through medical procedures at a reputable vein treatment clinic. Home remedies can only help control the pain and symptoms of varicose veins.
Exercise
In order to minimize your risk of getting varicose veins, you should engage in high-intensity cardio exercises that target your calves muscles such as running, swimming, cycling, and yoga. All of these exercises help engage your leg muscles and muscular contractions, thereby pushing blood towards the heart.
Compression Stockings
Compression stockings are tightly-fitting stockings that apply pressure on your blood vessels, thus pushing the accumulated blood forward. Wearing compression stockings can minimize some of the pain and discomfort of varicose veins, but they can’t treat the underlying vein disease.
Elevating Legs
Does your job require you to sit or stand still for long periods of time? If you have a desk job, you should find a way to keep your legs elevated so the blood in your leg veins doesn’t have to work against gravity to move to your heart. If you have a job that requires you to stand a lot — like teaching — then you should move around as much as possible.
Permanent Treatment for Varicose Veins in the Legs
Varicose veins are caused by an underlying vein disease. As such, the only way to permanently treat varicose veins is through medical procedures that treat the underlying diseased saphenous vein — procedures such as radiofrequency ablation, endovenous laser ablation, and venaseal. At Vein Treatment Clinic, our expert vein doctors specialize in all the latest minimally invasive procedures that can treat the root cause of varicose veins in the legs with minimal pain or discomfort. If you have any other questions about varicose vein treatments, please schedule an appointment at your nearest vein treatment clinic location.
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