How should young people deal with varicose veins in the lower legs?

Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
Updated on September 16, 2024
00:00
00:00

Firstly, for young people with varicose veins in the lower leg, it is recommended to go to the hospital for an ultrasound examination to check the condition of the deep veins. Additionally, consult a professional vascular surgeon to assess the severity. If the deep veins are unobstructed and the superficial varicose veins in the lower leg are not too severe, the doctor will suggest the patient wear medical compression stockings and continue with normal life activities. If the condition is more serious or there are certain issues with the deep veins, the doctor might recommend surgery. For such patients, it is important in daily life to avoid standing or sitting for long periods, and to avoid letting the legs dangle for too long. If standing, one can also step in place appropriately, which helps alleviate varicose veins. Also, when resting, take any opportunity to elevate the legs and avoid soaking feet in hot water.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
44sec home-news-image

Can varicose veins occasionally be invisible?

When varicose veins are mild in their early stages, if you wear compression stockings during winter, it's possible that the varicosities are not very noticeable occasionally when you take off the stockings. However, in more advanced stages, when there are clearly widespread and clustered varicose veins, they are difficult to conceal. However, if deep vein thrombosis occurs, causing tissue edema, the swollen surrounding tissues may obscure the varicose veins, making them less visible. Therefore, we need to judge based on the specific circumstances. Generally, just because varicose veins are occasionally not visible does not mean that the condition has healed.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Feng
Urology
49sec home-news-image

Can varicocele heal itself?

Varicocele generally cannot be cured, and most patients with varicocele do not have any symptoms and only discover their condition during physical examinations. Such patients can temporarily be under observation, but they should regularly have their varicocele rechecked and also have their semen quality tested. If there are abnormalities in semen quality, timely surgical treatment is necessary. Clinically, a small number of varicocele patients exhibit significant symptoms, typically presenting as discomfort and pain on the affected side of the scrotum, especially after long periods of walking or standing, with pain becoming more pronounced. In such cases, prompt surgical intervention is generally necessary, and surgery can also improve the quality of the patient's semen.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
1min 26sec home-news-image

The difference between thromboangiitis obliterans and varicose veins

Firstly, these are two completely different diseases. Thromboangiitis obliterans is an inflammatory vascular disease involving the medium and small veins and arteries, causing migratory superficial phlebitis and leading to the obstruction of the veins, as well as some obstructions in the lower limb arteries. Thus, thromboangiitis obliterans includes some obliterative diseases of both arteries and veins, the cause of which is an autoimmune inflammation. Varicose veins are one of the most common vascular surgical diseases. They primarily manifest as tortuous, clustered, and dilated superficial veins of the lower limbs. This condition does not involve arterial changes, but varicose veins can progressively worsen and may lead to pigmentation and ulceration, which at that time necessitates differentiation from arterial ulcers. Generally, the ulceration in varicose veins is located in the "gaiter area," which is the area covered by a boot when wearing one, including the lower one-half to one-third of the lower leg. Most of the ulcers from varicose veins primarily appear above the inner ankle. The ischemia caused by thromboangiitis obliterans leads to a dry-type ischemia, where the limbs can gradually become dry, shriveled, atrophied, and blackened, with ulcers typically beginning from the extremities.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Shuai
Urology
58sec home-news-image

Symptoms of varicocele in the right spermatic cord

If it is a mild varicocele, most patients have no discomfort symptoms and it is not easily detected. If the varicocele reaches a moderate or even severe level, the patient may experience a sensation of dragging pain in the right testicle and a lax scrotum, especially after long periods of sitting, standing, or intense exercise. The pain and dragging sensation in the testicle will become more pronounced. However, the symptoms will gradually ease after lying down and resting. If varicocele persists for a long time, it can lead to a decline in sperm quality, causing male infertility, and can even result in testicular atrophy. If the above symptoms are present, it is necessary to promptly go to the hospital for an ultrasound examination to determine the diameter of the spermatic vein. A routine semen analysis may be necessary if there is a decline in semen quality. If needed, surgery may be required for treatment.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
33sec home-news-image

What are the effects of secondary surgery for varicose veins?

If varicose veins recur, we need to carefully investigate the cause of the recurrence and rule out problems in the deep venous system. If there is an obstruction in the deep veins, recurrence can occur quickly even after secondary surgery on the superficial veins. If the deep veins are only involved in venous reflux, surgery can still be performed, but it is hoped that medical compression stockings will be worn for a period of time after surgery. Otherwise, there is still a possibility of recurrence after the secondary surgery.