How do I prevent varicose veins?

It’s unclear whether varicose veins can be prevented, but certain actions may help limit the disease’s progression and your symptoms. Here are a few lifestyle behaviors that can help:

• Regular exercise
• Maintaining a normal weight,
• Avoiding prolonged periods of standing or sitting
• Using compression stockings, especially when you’re doing some strenuous exercise. Why compression hose? (popup hyperlink to this info below)
• Don’t wear high heals regularly. They limit the use of your calf muscles.
• Take time each day to elevate your legs or take a walk. This will stimulate blood flow in your legs and help prevent valve failure.

What happens if I don’t treat the vein?

Unfortunately, if you have underlying vein disease (venous reflux), your condition may worsen over time. This is because the pressure from blood that pools in the legs instead of properly circulating up the leg can lead to more spider and varicose veins, and in some cases can lead to increased swelling, venous ulcers at the lower calf and ankle, and more pain. Only a trained specialist can effectively evaluate your veins to ensure you restore your vein health and halt the progession of the disease.

How do I keep my varicose veins from getting worse?

The best advice to keep varicose veins from worsening is to adopt the same lifestyle behaviors for preventing them (listed above).

Additionally, here are some tips for relieving the symptoms of pain, swelling, aching, etc.:

• Let gravity help. Elevate the leg to give your veins a little help pumping blood upward. Sit or lie down with your legs propped up higher than your hips.
• Take rests between long periods of sitting or standing. Prop your legs up in a comfortable position. The blood that’s been pooling in your legs will have a chance to circulate back, which helps alleviate swelling and tiredness.
• Don’t wear binding garments. Sometimes tight pants can cause pressure in a vein to build up, which causes it to weaken over trime. Wear loose-fitting clothes that don’t bind at the knees or hips when you’re sitting or squatting.