Blueish, purple, squiggly, bulging veins. Doesn’t exactly sound attractive, does it? Although varicose veins are known to be unsightly, they can also be painful. If left untreated, this pain can get worse and turn into something more serious like an ulcer or pulmonary embolism. Ultimately, you want to get your body checked and treated for any venous issue; however, in the meantime there are things you can do to temporarily relieve painful symptoms. One temporary fix: massage!
When you have varicose veins, your legs can feel painful, sore, heavy, and achy. You may feel all these things because there is blood pooling in the veins, which is causing an increased pressure and stretching in your veins and skin.
To help with your uncomfortable symptoms, a massage therapist can work on your body to help promote better circulation throughout, especially in the legs where blood pooling typically occurs. The massage therapist can massage around the varicose veins or on them (gently). However, take note: massages aren’t good for everyone. In serious cases of varicose veins, it may cause more harm.
One type of massage, manual lymphatic drainage, helps drain the body’s lymph system. A therapist will use this massage to move this lymph fluid out of a congested area into the body so it can move to other areas of the body.
No matter the type of massage, a massage therapist will work safely and gently around your varicose veins, avoiding hard, direct pressure on these veins. They don’t want to hurt you more, aggravate the area, or cause more damage to the diseased veins.
As on other parts of your body, a massage may bring relief to your legs. You may feel less sore and achy and there’s a good chance the pressure and swelling surrounding the veins has calmed down, alleviating some of your symptoms. If you can’t afford a massage, you can massage your legs on your own. To massage your own legs, massage the skin toward the heart. Spend 5 minutes massaging each leg per day to reap benefits.
Although the massage may have relieved your symptoms, it cannot rid your body of varicose veins. Whether you have a mild or severe case of venous insufficiency, the problem will still be there until you get the proper vein treatment. Relieving the problem temporarily may feel good, but it can ultimately harm you if the underlying problem worsens as it goes untreated. When you meet with a vein specialist, the doctor will determine what treatment is best for you depending on your current diagnosis. Dr. Peter Mikhail treats patients with varicose veins and other venous insufficiencies. He will diagnose your issue and come up with the best treatment plan to get your legs healthy again. He treats patients in the Tampa, Clearwater, and New Port Richey area. To book a consult with Dr. Mikhail, click here or call 727-312-4844.
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