I thought this was an interesting article:

If you have varicose veins, special support stockings may ease some of your symptoms, such as aching legs.

There are two types of support stockings for varicose veins.

* If you have varicose veins in your lower leg, you can wear short stockings that cover your leg from your ankle to your knee.
* If your varicose veins are in your upper leg (along the front of your thigh for instance), you can wear the longer type of stockings. These cover your whole leg. Some have open toes and some have closed toes.

All support stockings for varicose veins are tighter at the ankle than at the top. This means they apply more pressure at the bottom of your leg, which helps to squeeze blood upwards towards your heart.

Here are some tips on using support stockings for varicose veins.

* Support stockings come in different sizes, and some are more elastic than others. Larger, more uncomfortable veins need tighter stockings. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you get the right size and fit.
* It’s best to put the stockings on in the morning before you get out of bed. This is because your varicose veins are least likely to be full of blood and swollen after you’ve been lying down. As soon as you stand up, the blood pools in these veins. This makes it harder for the stockings to keep your veins from bulging.
* The stockings gradually get less elastic the more you wash them, so you’ll need to get new ones every few months.

Some people find that their legs feel better if they wear support stockings and look better when they take them off. However, there is no good-quality research to show that stockings help with symptoms or improve the way your legs look.

Source:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/besttreatments/varicose-veins-things-to-know-about-support-stockings

Ellis H, Taylor P. Elastic stockings. Greenwich Medical Media. 1999; 50-51.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited (”BMJ Group”) 2009

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The following is excerpted from the NIH’s excellent page describing how varicose veins are treated.

Medical Procedures
Medical procedures are done either to remove varicose veins or to close them. Removing or closing varicose veins usually doesn’t cause problems with blood flow because the blood starts moving through other veins.

You may be treated with one or more of the procedures listed below. Common side effects right after most of these procedures include bruising, swelling, skin discoloration, and slight pain.

The side effects are most severe with vein stripping and ligation (li-GA-shun). Although rare, this procedure can cause severe pain, infection, blood clots, and scarring.

Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy (SKLER-o-ther-a-pe) uses a liquid chemical to close off a varicose vein. The chemical is injected into the vein to cause irritation and scarring inside the vein. The irritation and scarring cause the vein to close off, and it fades away.

This procedure often is used to treat smaller varicose veins and spider veins. It can be done in your doctor’s office, while you stand. You may need several treatments to completely close off a vein.

Treatments are typically done every 4 to 6 weeks. Following treatments, your legs will be wrapped in elastic bandaging to help healing and decrease swelling.

Microsclerotherapy
Microsclerotherapy (MI-kro-SKLER-o-ther-a-pe) is used to treat spider veins and other very small varicose veins.

A small amount of liquid chemical is injected into a vein using a very fine needle. The chemical scars the inner lining of the vein, causing it to close off.

Laser Surgery
This procedure applies light energy from a laser onto a varicose vein. The laser light makes the vein fade away.

Laser surgery is mostly used to treat smaller varicose veins. No cutting or injection of chemicals is involved.

Endovenous Ablation Therapy
Endovenous ablation (ab-LA-shun) therapy uses lasers or radiowaves to create heat to close off a varicose vein.

Your doctor makes a tiny cut in your skin near the varicose vein. He or she then inserts a small tube called a catheter into the vein. A device at the tip of the tube heats up the inside of the vein and closes it off.

You will be awake during this procedure, but your doctor will numb the area around the vein. You usually can go home the same day as the procedure.

Endoscopic Vein Surgery
For endoscopic (en-do-SKOP-ik) vein surgery, your doctor will make a small cut in your skin near a varicose vein. He or she then uses a tiny camera at the end of a thin tube to move through the vein. A surgical device at the end of the camera is used to close the vein.

Endoscopic vein surgery usually is used only in severe cases when varicose veins are causing skin ulcers. After the procedure, you usually can return to your normal activities within a few weeks.

Ambulatory Phlebectomy
For ambulatory phlebectomy (fle-BEK-to-me), your doctor will make small cuts in your skin to remove small varicose veins. This procedure usually is done to remove the varicose veins closest to the surface of your skin.

You will be awake during the procedure, but your doctor will numb the area around the vein. Usually, you can go home the same day that the procedure is done.

Vein Stripping and Ligation
Vein stripping and ligation typically is done only for severe cases of varicose veins. The procedure involves tying shut and removing the veins through small cuts in your skin.

You will be given medicine to temporarily put you to sleep so you don’t feel any pain during the procedure.

Vein stripping and ligation usually is done as an outpatient procedure. The recovery time from the procedure is about 1 to 4 weeks.

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I thought this article at about.com was pretty interesting.

Horse Chestnut
The herb horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is one of the most widely used natural treatments for varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency, a related condition.

The active constituent in horse chestnut is a compound called aescin. Aescin appears to block the release of enzymes that damage capillary walls.

In 2006, researchers with the respected Cochrane Collaboration reviewed studies involving the use of oral horse chestnut extract or placebo for people with chronic venous insufficiency.

The researchers found an improvement in the signs and symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency with horse chestnut extract compared with placebo. Horse chestnut extract resulted in a significant reduction in leg pain and swelling compared with a placebo.

Adverse events were usually mild and infrequent. The researchers concluded that based on the evidence, horsechestnut extract was an effective and safe short-term treatment for chronic venous insufficiency. None of the studies, however, evaluated whether the extract could reduce the appearance of varicose veins.

Whole horse chestnut is considered unsafe by the FDA and can lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, convulsions, circulatory and respiratory failure, and even death. Tea, leaves, nuts, and other crude forms of the horse chestnut plant should also be avoided.

Manufacturers of horse chestnut products remove the toxic component, esculin. These products appear to be safe, as there have been few reports of harmful side effects despite being widely used in Europe.

People with kidney or liver disease and bleeding disorders should avoid horse chestnut. The safety of horse chestnut in pregnant or nursing women or children has not been established. Horse chestnut should not be combined with aspirin, Plavix (clopidogrel), Ticlid (ticlopidine), Trental (pentoxifylline), Coumadin (warfarin), and other anticoagulant (“blood-thinning”) drugs unless under medical supervision as these medications may increase the effect of the medication.

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I thought the following article was pretty interesting for showing how the idea behind compression stockings has benefits other than just treating varicose veins.

Athletes hope stockings can improve blood flow

By Joannie Dobbs and Alan Titchenal

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Oct 19, 2009
(Single Page View) | Return to Paginated View

If your excuse for not exercising is sore muscles, then Kona Ironman athletes might have a solution for you. Ultra-athletes recently have been seen wearing knee-high elastic compression stockings. These stockings are similar to hosiery worn for medical purposes used to improve blood circulation.

A variety of medical conditions can result in problems with veins returning blood properly up the legs. Conditions commonly treated with compression include varicose veins, lower leg edema and blood clots in the leg. The stockings do not eliminate varicose veins or other vein problems, but they do help to reduce the swelling, aching and feelings of heaviness that individuals with serious varicose veins can experience.

Question: Why are athletes wearing support hose?

Answer: Ironman athletes claim that the stockings enhance their performance and recovery from exercise.

Q: How do compression stockings help recovery?

A: Compression stockings are designed to assist blood flow out of the lower legs in people with normal or impaired blood circulation. When the veins in the calf are not working well, fluid can collect in body tissues and cause edema, swelling from fluid accumulation. This, in turn, can cause muscle soreness. The gentle pressure of compression stockings combined with leg muscle activity is thought to assist the flow of tissue fluid and blood into deep veins and enhance blood flow up the limb.

Q: What evidence supports the use of compression stockings by athletes?

A: There is certainly some scientific support and plenty of athlete testimonials that tout the benefits of compression stocking use in sports. But, since elite athletes have healthy blood vessels, it might seem surprising that compression stockings could provide any benefit.

However, some studies have reported that wearing compression stockings during exercise enhances blood flow to and from the lower leg and enhances the performance of some types of exercise. Although several studies have reported no performance benefit from compression stockings, these studies frequently reported that athletes experienced reduced muscle soreness and recovered from exercise more quickly.

Q: Will high-tech hosiery make the difference between you winning or losing a race?

A: Based on this year’s Kona Ironman, apparently not. Male and female winners were not wearing them.

Q: Are there other uses of compression stockings?

A: The use of compression stockings by elite athletes has piqued a growing interest in further research on their potential benefits in and out of the sport. Another use of compression stockings could be to decrease the risk of blood clot formation during air travel. Research supports the use of compression stockings during long plane rides to decrease the probability of blood clot formation.

Q: Will compression hose become the next fitness fashion statement?

A: The stockings do come in a variety of types and are designed to provide variable levels of compression. With regards to a fashion statement, the jury is still out.

Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Alan Titchenal, Ph.D., C.N.S., are nutritionists in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii-Manoa. Dobbs also works with University Health Services.

If your excuse for not exercising is sore muscles, then Kona Ironman athletes might have a solution for you. Ultra-athletes recently have been seen wearing knee-high elastic compression stockings. These stockings are similar to hosiery worn for medical purposes used to improve blood circulation.
Click Here For More Info!

A variety of medical conditions can result in problems with veins returning blood properly up the legs. Conditions commonly treated with compression include varicose veins, lower leg edema and blood clots in the leg. The stockings do not eliminate varicose veins or other vein problems, but they do help to reduce the swelling, aching and feelings of heaviness that individuals with serious varicose veins can experience.

Question: Why are athletes wearing support hose?

Answer: Ironman athletes claim that the stockings enhance their performance and recovery from exercise.

Q: How do compression stockings help recovery?

A: Compression stockings are designed to assist blood flow out of the lower legs in people with normal or impaired blood circulation. When the veins in the calf are not working well, fluid can collect in body tissues and cause edema, swelling from fluid accumulation. This, in turn, can cause muscle soreness. The gentle pressure of compression stockings combined with leg muscle activity is thought to assist the flow of tissue fluid and blood into deep veins and enhance blood flow up the limb.

Q: What evidence supports the use of compression stockings by athletes?

A: There is certainly some scientific support and plenty of athlete testimonials that tout the benefits of compression stocking use in sports. But, since elite athletes have healthy blood vessels, it might seem surprising that compression stockings could provide any benefit.

However, some studies have reported that wearing compression stockings during exercise enhances blood flow to and from the lower leg and enhances the performance of some types of exercise. Although several studies have reported no performance benefit from compression stockings, these studies frequently reported that athletes experienced reduced muscle soreness and recovered from exercise more quickly.

Q: Will high-tech hosiery make the difference between you winning or losing a race?

A: Based on this year’s Kona Ironman, apparently not. Male and female winners were not wearing them.

Q: Are there other uses of compression stockings?

A: The use of compression stockings by elite athletes has piqued a growing interest in further research on their potential benefits in and out of the sport. Another use of compression stockings could be to decrease the risk of blood clot formation during air travel. Research supports the use of compression stockings during long plane rides to decrease the probability of blood clot formation.

Q: Will compression hose become the next fitness fashion statement?

A: The stockings do come in a variety of types and are designed to provide variable levels of compression. With regards to a fashion statement, the jury is still out.

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You may have spider veins or you may just think you have but do you know anything about them? One thing that’s for sure is that if you’ve got spider veins you probably wish you hadn’t.

Dealing with any medical condition – however seemingly trivial – is much easier if you know something about it. Knowledge is power in this situation. So, if you’ve got them – here’s ten essential things you need to know about spider veins:

1. Why are they called ‘spider veins’?

The medical name for spider veins is ‘telangiectasias’ – so enough said really. Most people find it a whole lot easier to call them spider veins or thread veins. Spider veins show up as a network of thin blue or red veins just below the skin’s surface on the legs and face. The pattern made by spider veins resembles the branches of a tree or the structure of a spider’s web – hence the name most of us use.

2. How common are spider veins?

Spider veins are extremely common affecting an amazing one in four women at some stage in their lives, and a slightly lower percentage of men.

3. When am I most likely to get them?

Although they can affect people at all stages of life, spider veins are more common after mid-life when the skin becomes thinner and loses some of its collagen allowing the spider veins to show through.

4. What causes spider veins?

Spider veins result from weak vein valves which cause blood to leak back into the vein and collect there. It is this leaked blood that becomes visible and unsightly to the naked eye.

No one knows the exact causes of spider veins but there are several factors that may make it more likely for you to develop them including: age, genes, pregnancy and hormonal changes, excess weight, standing or sitting for long periods and unprotected sun exposure. Of all these– your genes are the single most important determining factor. If your mum or dad had spider veins you are much more likely to develop them yourself.

5. Why are legs most affected?

The force of gravity, the pressure of bearing your body weight and the hard task of carrying blood from the bottom of the body up to the heart make legs the main area of risk for spider veins. Compared to the work done by other veins in the body, your leg veins have a really tough job to do to get the blood back up to your heart. Leg veins have to endure huge pressure and it can simply prove to be too strong for the valve mechanism to cope with.

6. Are they the same as varicose veins?

No – varicose veins are a completely different condition. Varicose vein sufferers do not necessarily get spider veins and vice versa.

7. Are spider veins dangerous?

No, spider veins are not dangerous. Of course, they can be a source of anxiety and may affect your quality of life and your self-confidence. At the very least they are unsightly and it is for this reason alone that so many women want to get rid of them.

8. Can spider veins be treated?

Yes, spider veins can be treated – nowadays with a high degree of success.

9. What’s the best method of treating spider veins?

There are two main methods of treating spider veins. The first involves treatment with lasers in which strong bursts of light are used to destroy the blocked veins. The second treatment method is scelerotherapy which involves the injection of a solution into the veins causing the vein to seal shut and die. Both these methods involve visits to a clinic for treatment by a medical professional. Otherwise home remedies are available for the treatment of spider veins using creams and lotions which can be bought on the internet.

10. Will spider veins come back after treatment?

Current treatments for spider veins have a very high success rate although there is no guarantee that they won’t return. Watching weight, eating a varied diet high in antioxidants and taking plenty of leg exercise can all help prevent any recurrence.

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1.800.Varicose is pleased to welcome Vein Associates of Edina to our network.

Some information about Vein Associates of Edina:

At Vein Associates of Edina we specialize in correcting medically necessary varicose veins. Dr. Reese, performs the most up to date procedure Endovenous Laser Therapy of the Saphenous Vein -EVLT- without the need for general anesthesia. Vein Stripping is no longer necessary.

Dr. Robert J. Reese, DO received his medical degree in 1987 from the Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Reese completed a residency in General Surgery in 1992 at Meridia-South Point Hospital, Cleveland Ohio. He also completed the Joseph A. Grady, MD fellowship in Peripheral Vascular Surgery in 1993 at St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Reese practiced Vascular and General Surgery in Western New York until January, 2000. While practicing in Western New York Dr. Reese held academic appointments as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at SUNY-Buffalo School of Medicine, as well as the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. As part of his surgical practice, Dr. Reese has routinely performed venous surgery since 1993. In January 2000, Dr. Reese relocated to his home state of Minnesota where he continues to practice for Vein Associates. “As a physician and surgeon I enjoy and am skilled at patient care. My affiliation with the American College of Phlebology provides me with an opportunity to network with some of the most respected phlebologists (vein specialists) in the country. This clearly leads to improved patient care as well as excellent treatment outcomes. Our patients frequently comment that they feel ’safe and comfortable’ in my office. My staff and I pride ourselves on checking our ego’s at the door each morning. Our mission is to provide each patient with a comfortable, respectful experience when in our care, as well as delivering the best possible outcome from their treatment.”. Dr. Reese is Certified by the American Board of Phlebology as well as in General Surgery by the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery. He is a member of numerous Professional Societies, several of which include the American College of Phlebology, where he serves on the Public Education Committee. The American College of Osteopathic Surgery. The American Osteopathic Association. The Minnesota Osteopathic Medical Society. Dr. Reese is a member of the Department of Surgery at two hospital facilities in the Twin Cities; Abbott-Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, and West Health in Plymouth. Currently Dr. Reese is licensed to practice Medicine and Surgery in five different states. Being a Vascular Surgeon, Dr. Reese concentrates on “medically necessary” vein therapy and surgery for large varicose veins. Currently, he prefers to make appropriate referrals for the treatment of “cosmetic” spider vein therapy to well qualified colleagues. If you are not sure what type of veins you have, simply call for an evaluation.

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Beautiful Legs without Varicose Veins

Lots of women having varicose veins on their legs are afraid of exercising, because they believe, that physical exercises could make the problem worse. Exercises actually improve the blood circulation through your legs. Any exercises involving legs are good to prevent spider veins, the best and most efficient is exercising the lower calf muscles. Swimming, walking, bicycling, jogging, aerobics, step aerobics – if you do something from the list regularly, this is already varicose veins prevention. If you already have varicose veins, moderate leg exercises help relieve varicose veins and reduce the aching associated with them. The following exercises improve your leg strength and muscle tone, help promote circulation and, thus, help prevent and relieve varicose veins.

Exercise #1. Calf Stretching

You will need to use an aerobic step, or a low bench, or something stable, raised and firm. Stand on the step with both feet. Your heels should extend over the edge of the step. Raise yourself up on your toes and then lower your heels down below the step. Do this exercise close to a wall to hold on to balance. Make about 40 repetitions. This exercise stretches the back of your calf muscles.

Exercise #2. Pedaling

Lie on the floor on your back with hands out to the sides or beneath the buttocks. Lift your legs off the floor and pedal them, as if you were riding a bicycle. If you hold your legs low, you also work on your abdominals.

Exercise #3. Tip-toeing

Walk on tip-toes, when you are working around the house. This exercise also stretches the calves.

Exercise #4. Walk on Heels

This exercise is also simple and can be done at home while clearing up, but is effective for calve muscle strength. Just walk on your heels around the house.

Exercise #5. Leg Lifting

Lie down on the floor on your back with hands out to the sides or beneath the buttocks. Press your lower back and buttocks against the floor. Lift one straight leg and hold it elevated perpendicular to the floor. Hold this pose as long as you can and lay the leg down. Repeat this motion with the other leg. This exercise improves the circulation in your legs.

Exercise #6. Knee Bends

Lie on the floor on your back. Pull one knee into your chest. During this hold onto your leg behind the knee. While your leg is kept in this position, point and flex your foot. All the motions should be done slowly and forcefully. After several foot motions do the same with the opposite leg. This exercise makes the muscles of the entire leg work.
Resting after Leg Exercises

It is recommended to elevate the legs about 6 to 12 inches above the heart after doing these or any other leg exercises, especially exercises involving the large muscles of the lower body. Independent from if you have just done exercises, or walked a lot, or had to stand for a long time, do this to prevent and relieve varicose veins. You can also do the following: lie down on the floor with your buttocks almost touching a wall. Keep your legs in an elevated pose resting against the wall. This provides a good rest for your legs.

Source: geniusbeauty.com

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Varicose Vein News – See the link to this article about Varicose
Veins and First Aid at the Link below:

http://www.medindia.net/news/First-Aid-can-Prevent-Death-of-Varicose-Vein-Patients-31778-2.htm

Even rudimentary knowledge would perhaps go a long way towards preventing fatal hemorrhaging in elderly people suffering a rupture of their varicose veins, an Australian scientist says.

According to University of Adelaide forensic pathologist Professor Roger Byard, a handful of elderly people die in their homes each year in Australia due to ruptured varicose veins.

“They are usually living alone, vulnerable, and unaware of what to do in the case of a hemorrhage,” he says.

“People need to be aware that veins can bleed quite dramatically with only relatively minor injuries. It is crucial to apply a dressing with firm pressure to the site of the hemorrhage and to elevate the bleeding leg. If that is done immediately, there is a chance that people can be saved,” he says.

Although the incidence of deaths due to hemorrhage from varicose veins is extremely rare, most of these deaths are entirely preventable, he says.

Varicose veins are common in the adult population, occurring in up to 40 per cent of men and 33 per cent of women in the Western world. Because the skin and tissue of elderly people is so fragile, they are more likely to sustain minor leg injuries and ulcers which can then lead to ruptured veins.

Professor Byard and Dr John Gilbert recently published the results of a 10-year autopsy study on the incidence of fatal hemorrhaging due to ruptured varicose veins in the South Australian population. Only eight cases were found in a total of more than 10,000 autopsies between January 1996 and December 2005. The male to female ratio was 1:3, with an average age of 78 years.

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When we look at our legs we see veins and think: “are those varicose veins, will what I see become varicose veins”? We talk a great deal about VARICOSE VEINS on this site, so we want to occasionally revist the definition for you.

Here is an article prepared by the Mayo Clinic staff which is available in it’s entirety at:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/Varicose-veins/DS00256

Varicose veins are gnarled, enlarged veins. Any vein may become varicose, but the veins most commonly affected are those in your legs and feet. That’s because standing and walking upright increases the pressure in the veins of your lower body.
For many people, varicose veins and spider veins — a common, mild variation of varicose veins — are simply a cosmetic concern. For other people, varicose veins can cause aching pain and discomfort. Sometimes varicose veins lead to more-serious problems. Varicose veins may also signal a higher risk of other circulatory problems. Treatment may involve self-care measures or procedures by your doctor to close or remove veins.

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Question: Someone has been taking birth control pills for the past several years, and they see the formation of spider veins in their legs. The condition seems to be getting worse. Are these spider veins caused by the pill and will they lead to a high risk for varicosities? The personal information and family history is not: overweight, exercise every day, only family history is a grandmother on my father’s side. Is the pill causing this and will these minor spider veins disappear when the pill is stopped.

Answer: The pill sometimes increases spider veins in about 10-20% of women. They likely will not vanish; but, you might do better with a lower estrogen formatted pill.

http://www.druginfonet.com

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