What Are The Causes And Symptoms Of Varicose Veins?

Veins are an important part of our body’s anatomy. They don’t only circulate the fresh blood but also clear the deoxygenated blood from the various parts of the body. Without their proper role, it is difficult for the body to function properly.

Though, some people face certain difficulties in the veins. One of such problems is varicose veins. This is a situation where the veins get enlarged. Basically, it can happen anywhere but normally these problems are commonly found in the legs. This is for the simple reason that standing or walking increases the pressure.

They are nothing but the twisted and inflamed blood veins. Veins have leaflets which allow the blood to move upwards against the gravity. When, the veins become varicose, they fail to push the blood upward, causes them to enlarge more. Normally, this problem is non-troubling but in some cases, they can lead to serious problems.

Symptoms:

The enlargement of veins doesn’t cause any pain; they do show certain signs and symptoms, though. These could be:

1.    Swollen or enlarged veins
2.    Blue or dark purple colored veins
3.    Twisted and bulging veins which can be clearly seen at the surface of the legs
4.    Ankle swelling, especially in the evening
5.    Aching or heavy legs
6.    Worsened pain after sitting or standing for a longer time
7.    Pain in calf
8.    Dry thin skin
9.    Itching over the vein
10.  Either open sores or more bleeding even at minor injury
11.  Muscle cramp in your legs
12.  Whitened or irregular scar-like patches at the ankle
13.  Shrinking of skin above the ankle
14.  Skin ulcers
15.  Redness of the skin

Causes:

There are certain reasons due to which people get this problem. The causes can be age, weight and pregnancy.

Age:

Older age does affect various functions of our body. One of the problems could be the varicose veins. As you grow old, your vein starts to lose the elasticity and thus you suffer from it.

Overweight:

When you’re overweight, you put pressure to your veins. This means, your veins have to work harder to send that blood back to the heart. This can increase pressure on the valves making them prone to leak.

Pregnancy:

When you’re pregnant, the veins go through the pressure due to the increased amount of blood; which is required for the development of the baby. During pregnancy, the hormone levels also increase due to which the muscular wall of the blood vessels relaxes. This can increase the risk of getting varicose veins.

This may also happen when the womb starts to increase due to the development of the baby. That time, expanded womb puts pressure on the veins in your pelvic area. However, women find the veins have improved once the baby is born.

Certainly, when you start to put pressure in your veins, you are ultimately hurting the blood flow. This might seem okay but it is always good if you can take the precautionary measure before it gets worsened. If, in any case, you get the above symptoms, visit a doctor so that this can be treated, easily.