If you have varicose veins, you might be on the fence about getting treatment. This is especially true if you don’t have any symptoms or if the symptoms are mild. Learn more about your options, if you are in the early stages of venous disease. Then, you can decide how to manage your condition.
If you have varicose veins without symptoms, you might think of it as a cosmetic problem. As long as you don’t have symptoms, you can use conservative management for your varicose veins. Wear compression stockings to slow down the progression of venous disease. Also, elevate your legs several times a day, especially if you spend a large portion of the day standing. You can also do exercises to stimulate blood flow in your legs and take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDS) medications, such as Ibuprofen, to manage your milder symptoms.
Along with conservative management, you can make some lifestyle changes to slow down the disease’s progression. Avoid sitting or standing for long periods and lose weight if needed.
If these methods work, you won’t need to undergo treatment. However, if symptoms appear or you are concerned about how the varicose veins look, you can undergo treatment. Treatment is safe and effective, so it’s not necessary to put it off.
If you have mild symptoms, you should also start with conservative management. However, symptoms can progress quickly, so if the conservative treatments don’t seem to be working, it’s time to see a vein specialist. This might start with some restlessness or cramping at night, that’s keeping you up or maybe a feeling of significant pain or aching in the calves at the end of the day. Once symptoms start to affect your sleep or your daily activities of living are compromised and the compression stockings just aren’t doing the job, then it’s time to get your legs checked. You should have an ultrasound of your legs to diagnose the underlying pathology. Once the underlying source of the pathology is confirmed, the vein expert should review your treatment options.
New treatment options are minimally invasive and can be performed with minimal to no discomfort. There is usually minimal to no downtime and you will be up on your feet immediately after the procedure. Most people can go back to work immediately or the next day. These less invasive treatment options include radiofrequency ablation (RFA), endovenous laser ablation (EVLA), sclerotherapy and venaseal.
If you are unsure whether you need treatment for your varicose veins, you can get an expert opinion from Dr. Vinay Madan at the Center for Varicose Veins. Dr. Madan has over 25 years of experience treating vein disease and is board certified in Interventional Radiology and Phlebology. Contact the Center for Varicose Veins to schedule a consultation with Dr. Madan and learn more about your treatment options.
