Varicose veins (commonly known as "hamstring muscle") are the most common diseases of venous system. The main reason for the formation is that blood accumulates in the lower limbs because of keeping the same posture for a long time, and the venous valve is destroyed over time, resulting in increased venous pressure and varicose veins. Varicose veins mostly occur in the lower limbs, and the skin of the legs is red or blue, like cobwebs, twisted blood vessels of earthworms, or hard nodules like tree tumors. The veins are abnormally enlarged, swollen and varicose. According to statistics, about 25 ~ 40% of women and 20% of men in Taiwan Province Province suffer from varicose veins. Teachers, surgeons, nurses, hairdressers, counter girls, chefs, restaurant waiters and other occupations that need to stand for a long time are all high-risk groups. In addition, varicose veins are related to heredity, oral contraceptives and pregnancy. Varicose veins are an irreversible phenomenon because the human body has no mechanism of self-repairing membrane, but we can still prevent varicose veins from expanding and alleviate their symptoms through conservative treatment (such as using elastic socks, exercising, changing diet and life schedule). Walking, swimming and cycling can not only improve circulation, but also reduce the incidence of new varicose veins. In terms of diet, we should eat more high-fiber and low-fat diets and strengthen vitamin C and E supplements. In daily life, we should control our weight, avoid taking birth control pills, avoid wearing tight clothes and high heels, cross our legs and avoid sitting or standing for a long time. Raise your legs for a period of time before going to bed every day and sleep on your left side to relieve pelvic venous pressure. Smoking can raise blood pressure and damage arteries and veins. Patients with varicose veins should quit smoking immediately.

Most patients with varicose veins are not serious and do not need treatment. Health care and prevention are the most important. But if varicose veins are too serious, it is easy to produce recurrent ulcers, infections and bleeding. Mistaking folk remedies and using the wrong treatment will aggravate the symptoms of varicose veins. Therefore, the best way is to consult a specialist and give appropriate advice. Treatment of varicose veins includes the following:

Compression therapy: use elastic socks, and use external pressure to reduce edema during exercise. Theoretically speaking, the pressure of elastic socks is the largest at the ankle and gradually decreases upward. It is usually best to wear elastic socks that can reach your thighs. It is best to wear elastic socks before getting up in the morning and then take them off after going to bed at night. If patients have leg ulcers due to venous hypertension, they should respect the doctor's advice, take antibiotics and diuretics, supplemented by special hygiene materials.

Sclerosing agent treatment: Inject hypertonic solution (such as high-concentration saline or sclerosing agent) into varicose veins to destroy the intima of blood vessels and make it disappear after sealing. However, it can only treat varicose veins, and severe pain, pigmentation, even inflammation, redness, ulceration and other sequelae may occur during the treatment, and it is easy to recur, and it is difficult to treat after recurrence, which is only suitable for a few patients.

Extravascular laser or pulsed light: Like the principle of laser beauty spot removal, it has the advantages of only local anesthesia, short treatment time, low pain, relatively small wound, no ugly scar and immediate walking. However, it is only effective for micro-spider varicose veins, and several courses of treatment are paid at one's own expense.

Surgical removal: incision is made in the groin to cut off and ligate or remove the great saphenous vein, which requires hemianesthesia or general anesthesia and hospitalization for 2-3 days. If the varicose veins are too serious, it may take several small wounds to remove the varicose veins one by one. The treatment is complete, but there are some shortcomings, such as subcutaneous bruising and painful wounds.

Intravascular cauterization: Make a small incision on the inside of the knee or ankle, put a very thin catheter, cauterize and block the varicose venous blood flow with high-frequency wave (or radio frequency) or laser beam. Simple intravascular cautery has the advantages of being performed under local anesthesia, no hospitalization, less scar and pain, walking home after elastic tension treatment and high success rate. However, health insurance is not paid at one's own expense, and most patients may not only solve it by this method alone, but also need other methods such as minimally invasive varicocele surgery system to have a more complete treatment.

Minimally invasive varicose vein rotating endoscopic system: the earthworm-like vein is sucked out through endoscope and suction rotation. The wound is smaller and more beautiful than traditional surgery, but it needs anesthesia and hospitalization, and consumables need to be paid at their own expense.

Four therapies for varicose veins

Eliminate the blue veins that burst out.

There is a "blue vein" crawling on the calf, which makes Amy very angry, but some "blue veins" bend or cover a part of the thigh or calf like a tight encirclement. These "blue veins" are not itchy or painful, but their appearance "stings" the nerves of the eyes.

How about varicose veins? Is it harmful to your health? How to eliminate these "blue veins" common on women's feet? Xiong Jian, a surgical consultant at Guanghua Hospital, said that in Guanghua Hospital alone, more than 100 patients need surgery every year because of varicose veins; This figure does not count some patients with mild illness.

Valve failure, blood backlog

The cause of varicose veins is that there is something wrong with the valve of veins.

Under normal circumstances, the vein responsible for sending blood back to the heart has a piston-like valve to prevent blood from flowing back. When the valve breaks, the piston cannot stop the blood from flowing back. For example, if the venous valve supporting the leg breaks, blood will accumulate in the vein, and the vein will swell due to pressure, which will cause inflammation in severe cases, and the surrounding tissues will turn black or even fester.

Dr Xiong Jian pointed out that varicose veins develop slowly, and most patients are women. Generally, it begins around the age of 30, and symptoms of pain or discomfort will appear after the age of 50.

Varicose veins occur in superficial or deep veins. Patients with superficial varicose veins have curved or reticulated "blue veins" on their calves or thighs. As for the deep vein, the affected area has no symptoms.

Valve piston chain failure

Superficial varicose veins mostly start from the thigh and extend to the calf, while varicose veins can appear anywhere in the lower limbs.

However, Dr. Xiong stressed that there are long and straight "blue veins" in the calf, which are not necessarily varicose veins. It is common in athletes' calves, feet are often compressed and veins are prominent, which is a normal phenomenon.

Varicose veins are a vicious circle. Dr. Xiong explained that when a valve in a vein breaks and loses the function of sending blood back to the heart, blood accumulates in the vein, and the vein is compressed and expanded, implicating the next valve. The valve can't cover the excessively dilated vein, and it also loses its piston function, which in turn affects the third and fourth valves.

Causes of piston failure

The reasons why the venous valve loses its piston function include the following:

(1) Congenital causes: The patient's valve may be born with some minor defects, and the acquired pressure will form varicose veins;

(2) Vascular diseases: People who have suffered from venous vascular embolism may have impaired valve function;

(3) Perforation failure: The perforated vein connecting the superficial vein and the deep vein also has a valve to prevent blood from flowing from the deep vein to the superficial vein. However, when the valve function of the perforated vein fails and the blood flows freely, it will exert pressure on the superficial vein and dilate the vein;

(4) Drug addicts: It is easy for drug addicts to damage the valves of deep veins when using syringes;

(5) Pregnant women: The female hilum can dilate the vein, but the valve can't cover the vein, which prevents the blood from flowing back;

(6) Obese: Because the lower limbs need to support a huge body, the venous pressure increases.

Four treatment methods

Generally speaking, varicose veins are not life-threatening and do not need any treatment; But in severe cases, blood is squeezed out of blood vessels, causing inflammation. Long-term inflammation makes muscles hard, fibrotic, festering and blackening. When you feel itchy feet, pain, eczema and redness, you may need to ask a doctor for help.

1 surgery

Severe varicose veins, valve dysfunction, doctors can take out the problematic veins through surgery, but this treatment is limited to superficial varicose veins.

If the problem comes from a perforated vein, the doctor will bind the fascia of the perforated vein with an endoscope to prevent blood from entering and leaving the perforated vein, and the problem will be solved.

Sclerosis therapy

Inject a sclerosing fluid into varicose veins to narrow vein contraction, and only treat varicose veins below the knee.

3 stress therapy

For deep varicose veins, elastic bandages can be used to wrap the lower limbs and pressurize the veins to prevent local hypertension and promote blood flow.

4 beautiful leg exercise

Slight varicose veins, although painless, but not good-looking. When summer comes, my feet are swollen and crooked when I wear shorts or swimsuits, and my blue "blue veins" are simply a spoil the fun. Some simple activities can relieve varicose veins and prevent the course from getting worse.

1) Exercise calf muscles.

Dr. Xiong Jian pointed out that calf muscle is an auxiliary blood pump, which helps veins pump blood back to the heart and can slow down the deterioration of varicose veins. When the calf lacks exercise for a long time, it loses this function. Cycling, walking and swimming all help to strengthen calf muscles.

2) When sleeping, gently pad your feet to promote blood flow in your feet and relieve venous pressure.

3) You can wear pressure socks. But summer is not easy because the pressure socks are cramped.