Even if your health is stable, there’s specific situations and lifestyle choices that could result in having a vein disease. While it’s not a lethal condition, it causes uncomfortable symptoms on the patient and can lead to severe health problems, like blood clots.
Luckily, you can find a solution for your varicose veins in New Jersey in University Pain & Spine, through a team of healthcare professionals. Today, we’re showing you the main causes of this condition.
What Are Varicose Veins?
Varicose veins are swollen and twisted veins that normally show up on the legs, feet and ankles, appearing as blue or purple-ish bulges. They happen due to blood pressure increases inside your veins, and can feel painful or itchy for the patient. Other symptoms include heaviness, nighttime cramps and a burning sensation.
Having varicose veins can limit you from doing your daily activities, and can worsen overtime if you sit or stand for long periods of time. Although it’s normally not dangerous, they can result in having ulcers, infections, skin changes and bleeding.
🦴Learn more: Varicose Veins and Your Legs: Beyond Cosmetic Concerns
5 Main Causes Of Varicose Veins
Having weak or damaged valves and vein walls are what makes you develop varicose veins. When they can’t make the blood flow to the heart properly, they twist and stretch. There are multiple factors that can lead you to having faulty valves, whether it’s a daily habit, genetics or a condition. Some of these causes are:
- Family history
- Aging
- Cigarettes & Caffeine
- Hormonal Changes
- Standing & Sitting
1. Family History
If you have family members who’ve suffered from varicose veins, you may be likely to develop them as well. They can show up as the patient grows older, and in some cases they can be born with it.
2. Aging
As you grow older, the valves in your veins suffer from a “wear-and-tear” effect. Instead of properly controlling your blood flow, your valves start malfunctioning and making a pressure buildup. Your valves can also become less elastic and more vulnerable to stretching and dilation.
3. Cigarettes, Caffeine & Alcohol
These vices could cost you a vein disorder. Constantly smoking and drinking coffee can elevate your blood pressure and cause vasoconstriction, which is your veins becoming tight or narrow. Once they get constricted, it’s difficult for the blood to flow its way to the heart. On the other side, alcohol acts as a vasodilator, which abnormally expands the veins and allows an excessive amount of blood flow, leading to it pooling in your veins.
4. Hormonal Changes
Did you know that women are more vulnerable to having vein disorders?
During the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause, your hormone changes make your vein walls “relax”, leading to blood piling up in your system, and can also increase the amount of blood in your body. Hormonal treatments such as birth control pills can also damage your valves.
5. Standing & Sitting
Having a job that requires you to stand or sit for long periods of time, or a sedentary daily routine, can lead you to forget to stretch or properly rest your legs. The strain this causes along with the weight of gravity, damages your vein function.
Visit Us in New Jersey
Before your varicose veins become a bigger problem for your health, it’s best to let a healthcare professional intervene. Instead of letting it cause an ulcer or a skin change, you can contact University Pain & Spine Center in New Jersey to start managing your condition. No matter what vein disease you’re facing, our specialists can address it with an innovative and comprehensive approach. Contact us and book your appointment.