Venous disorders
Healthy and attractive legs need to be cared for. In young people this happens automatically. However, there comes a time when your body starts to need gradually more care and attention. If minor venous disorders are not treated in good time, there may later be no alternative but to perform a vein stripping operation.
A better policy is to have regular check-ups and look after your legs in order to remain healthy on your feet and avoid any such surgery. So, give your legs a little more attention. That way, you’ll know in good time whether any vein disorder is developing. The appearance of small varicose veins is an early sign of this common disease, as are a prickling sensation or tiredness in the legs.
The first step to avoid swellings, spider veins or varicose veins is to take clear, constructive action, which should include more movement, attention to diet, and checkups with a specialist who can recognise the early signs and prescribe the appropriate treatment. For many years vein conditions have been one of the diseases of our civilisation. Occupations that involve prolonged standing or sitting and generally too little movement are conducive to the onset of varicose veins.
Today one adult in three is affected. Every year hundreds of thousands of new cases occur. Visibly pronounced varicose veins do not only affect the old; the first problems can begin far earlier. It is therefore important to take notice at the first signs and to seek medical advice. Possible causes:
blood collects in pools in the veins, leading at first to minor leg problems.
Consequences can include weak or varicose veins. This is a widespread condition that causes a lot of people discomfort. The human’s upright posture, while highly advantageous, also poses certain problems. An example is our particular susceptibility to back problems. Our blood circulation also faces a considerable challenge in overcoming gravity in both standing and sitting positions. The blood in the veins of a typical adult has to be raised through a height differential of at least 1.5 metres without large amounts collecting in ‘pools’, as it were, in the legs. Nature’s solution to this problem is the so-called ‘muscle-vein pump’. These pumps move blood upward from the calves and ankles, while venous valves – similar to non-return valves – allow flow only in one direction, thus preventing the blood flowing back down.
However, insufficient movement and prolonged sitting and standing tasks interfere with the return flow through the veins. Such conditions are favourable to the onset of venous disorders. Other possible causes include a hereditary disposition to weak connective tissue or unhealthy Habits, such as excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet or being overweight. Roughly twice as many women are affected by vein conditions as men.
Pregnancy, in particular, subjects the vein system to months of severe congestion. The associated hormonal changes and increase in weight can also encourage the development of varicose veins. Finally, the simple fact of growing older increases the risk of vein disorders. When the legs change, there is a good reason for this. The number of veins is significantly larger than that of the arteries, with the result that some 60-80% of the body’s blood is in the veins at a given time.
