Are There Alternatives To Vein Treatment/Surgery?
Even with all the different medical treatments modern medicine has blessed us with, surgery doesn’t always have to be a patient’s top choice. If surgery isn’t an option for you, there are conservative measures you can try at home such as leg elevation and elastic compression stockings which have shown to hold your symptoms at bay. This means these options can relieve your symptoms temporarily but will not fix the underlying venous problem.
To understand how these conservative measures may help, you first need to know how your veins carry blood. Unlike arteries that bring blood from your heart down to your legs, the veins’ job is to bring blood back to your heart. If your veins aren’t working correctly, they have more difficulty with this flow. When this happens, blood backups and begins to pool in your veins and reroutes forming spider & varicose veins.
Elevating your legs above your heart gives gravity a chance to pull that pooling blood back up to your heart and giving your legs a rest at the same time. Your veins in your legs also rely on muscle contractions to squeeze and push blood in the right direction therefore exercise, walking, and wearing compression stockings aid in this flow. At Northern Michigan Vein Specialists the physician will prescribe compression stockings 20-30mmHg to help alleviate the symptoms you may be experiencing such as fatigue, swelling, and achiness or even painful legs.
There is also over-the-counter vein supplements that have active ingredients, such as micro purified flavonoids, Di[km=m =osmin, and Hesperidin, to help fight against venous disease. These are compounds that exist naturally in citrus fruits (i.e. orange peels) that give them their bright colors. They possess anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties and support lymphatic function.
Weight loss and exercise is an effective way to prevent the appearance of varicose veins from getting worse as well as new ones from forming. Obesity puts more stress and pressure on your blood flow in your legs. It becomes a fight against gravity and unfortunately your veins will not win.
Ultimately, the choice is yours if you’d like to pursue possible treatment options. If left untreated, venous disease will eventually progress and lead to further complications down the road. If you would like to learn more about your treatment options, please contact our office at (231) 936-2068.
Written by: Kate Anderson MA
