Varicose veins, twisted bulging veins that often appear on the legs, require medical treatment to completely go away. However, if you are not quite ready to pursue medical intervention and want to try managing your veins at home, several home remedies for varicose veins can help. While these practices won’t reverse the vein damage, they can prevent them from getting worse or provide relief from vein-related symptoms.
If you want to learn how to take care of varicose veins at home, here are the lifestyle changes that can help slow their progression.
Does Self-Care for Varicose Veins Really Exist?
If you struggle with unsightly veins, you might be curious about what helps varicose veins or if you can get rid of varicose veins at home. While medical treatment is the only way to completely get rid of veins, while you wait to receive treatment or decide if you want to treat your veins, you can temporarily improve your circulation and reduce discomfort.
Varicose veins are caused by damaged, leaky valves, known as venous insufficiency, which put pressure on the veins, causing the blood to flow backward and pool. The common symptoms of varicose veins, such as pain, pressure, cramping, or heaviness, are caused by improper blood flow.
Common self-care practices that improve circulation, reduce pressure on the legs, or support an overall healthy body can help improve symptoms caused by varicose veins and possibly prevent them from getting worse.
Lifestyle Changes: Build a Strong Foundation
An important aspect of varicose veins self-care is to live a healthy lifestyle. The healthy living basics can help prevent varicose veins from worsening. This includes:
- A nutritious diet, low in sodium and saturated fat
- Regular exercise
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Not sitting or standing for too long
- Managing other medical conditions, such as high blood pressure
Monitoring for early signs of worsening varicose veins is also essential to prevent complications. These early signs may include itching, pain, swelling of the veins, restless legs, and a feeling of heaviness.
If left untreated, symptoms can worsen, leading to skin ulcers and increasing your risk of blood clots. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to seek an evaluation from a vascular surgeon, a doctor who specializes in vein treatments.
Explore Home Remedies and Their Effectiveness
Beyond an overall healthy lifestyle, what other changes can you make to help varicose veins? Here are a few ways to care for yourself at home with varicose veins:
Compression socks
An effective home remedy for varicose veins is compression socks. These are snug-fitting socks that put pressure on the lower part of the legs and gradually decrease the pressure as they move up the legs. This helps push blood back up the legs, helping relieve the pressure in the lower legs.
Depending on your needs, compression socks can be worn all the time (but are not needed while sleeping) or during long periods of sitting or standing. If you are curious about compression therapy, it is best to speak to your doctor, who can recommend the best compression socks, as they vary in pressure.
Elevate your legs
Putting your legs up, particularly after a long day of standing or walking, can help relieve some of the pressure and reduce symptoms. Try to keep the legs just above the heart, which is easier if you are lying down. Or you can prop your legs up against the wall, which is also a nice stretch for your hamstrings.
If you are struggling with heaviness or pain, try to elevate your legs two or three times a day for at least 15 minutes.
Avoid sitting or standing for long periods
Sitting or standing in the same spot for too long can put pressure on the legs. If you work at a desk, try to get up as often as possible to change positions and walk around the office.
Consider exercises you can do right at your desk to keep the blood flowing. These can include ankle circles, or desk stretches where you lift and flex your legs. You can also consider a standing desk so you can alternate between sitting and standing.
If your job requires long hours of standing, try to move around as much as possible. Heel raises, calf stretches, knee raises, or simply shifting your weight can help relieve pressure. Moving around during the day can reduce pressure on veins and is one way to take care of varicose veins at home.
Massage
Massages, either from a trained professional or self-massage, can help reduce swelling and discomfort. If you are considering a massage for the relief of varicose vein symptoms, you want to be sure you find a therapist who is trained in working with people with venous insufficiency. There are medical massage therapists who specialize in this type of treatment and can work with limitations you might have.
While self-massage may not be as relaxing as going to a therapist, it can help improve circulation in your legs. Start at the bottom of your legs near your ankles and gently massage up your legs to the affected area to get the blood moving in the right direction.
Incorporate Exercise and Movement
Regular exercise is one of the best home remedies for varicose veins. It helps improve circulation by getting your blood pumping and improving symptoms.
Aim to do some type of cardiovascular exercise at least 30 minutes per day, five days a week. This can be as simple as going for a walk or participating in another activity like swimming, dancing, or bike riding that gets your heart pumping.
Every exercise program should also include a flexibility component that can help keep muscles, ligaments, and tendons fluid. After your 30-minute workout, aim to stretch all muscle groups for 10 minutes.
Recognize When Professional Help Is Needed
Sometimes home remedies for varicose veins just don’t work anymore and medical treatment is required. Varicose veins can become painful, cause skin damage and ulcers, or significantly impact your daily activities.
While you can seek treatment at any time even if your symptoms are not severe, treatment may become medically necessary at some point. If you develop a leg ulcer, have a bleeding vein, or start experiencing symptoms that impact your daily life, seek the help of one of our experienced board certified vascular surgeons at Empire Vein and Vascular Specialists.
When you book a free 15-minute screening, our expert team can help determine the best treatment for you.