Varicose veins are an increasingly common disease. So people have a lot of questions about it. One of the topics that is actively discussed is whether the bath will harm varicose veins. Consider which bathroom you can visit with varicose veins, what rules apply and what the tradition of visiting a steam room can lead to.
Is it possible to bathe in a bathtub with varicose veins?
Varicose veins on the legs is a disease that puts many restrictions on a person. As for visiting the baths, in the early stages of the disease, visiting them is allowed. In addition, the procedure of bathing in a steam room can be beneficial.
If the disease has progressed to the stage of thrombophlebitis, you will have to leave the bath, this stage is characterized by the formation of spider veins and the expansion of veins.
Staying in a room with excessively high temperatures worsens the patient's condition. Therefore, it is better to abandon the bath in favor of a contrast shower or a visit to the pool.
Benefits of a bath for varicose veins
Taking a bath under certain conditions becomes one of the measures for the treatment of varicose veins.
The beneficial effect of high temperatures in vascular diseases is associated with the following positive effects:
- elimination of blood stagnation by normalizing blood circulation;
- blocking inflammatory foci;
- stimulation of the process of regeneration of venous tissues;
- elimination of unpleasant sensations - heaviness and fatigue in the legs.
Baths are useful for thinning veins. The temperature effect strengthens blood vessels, improves their tone. Water treatments, when used correctly, clean and heal the body. They become one of the preventive measures to reduce the risk of complications of varicose conditions if the disease is in the 1st stage.
The use of heating pads, steaming the feet with hot water and baths at high temperatures can lead to thrombophlebitis.
Rules for visiting the bathroom with varicose veins
Baths will not harm varicose veins of the lower extremities if you follow the rules of their visit.
They are as follows:
- take water procedures on an empty stomach;
- you must refuse to visit the bath if the disease has worsened;
- care should be taken not to squeeze the vessels - you can stand or lie in the bath, but in no case sit with your legs crossed;
- massage of the lower extremities with a previously steamed broom has a beneficial effect on the condition of blood vessels, it is better to collect it from juniper or oak leaves;
- to finish going to the bath, you need a cold shower and rest in a lying position.
In case of varicose veins, the legs should be washed using the evaporation method. It consists of rubbing them with a wet cloth. After that, you need to go to a dry room and wait until the water evaporates. This procedure helps to remove swelling and heaviness in the legs. Thanks to it, the risk of recurrence of exacerbations of varicose veins is reduced.
Visiting the swimming pool is prohibited if moderate or severe varicose veins are diagnosed. Contraindications for such water procedures are thrombophlebitis, the rehabilitation period after surgery and varicose veins complicated by chronic or inflammatory diseases.
Rules for visiting the steam room
It is not necessary to refuse to visit a steam room with varicose veins of the lower extremities. It is enough to follow the rules, thanks to which it is possible to prevent damage caused to dishes by elevated temperatures.
In order to turn the habit of steam cooking not to harm, but to benefit, the following recommendations will help:
- for the first time you need to enter the steam room for no more than 2-3 minutes, this approach allows the vessels to adapt to the high temperature;
- it is possible to use a broom, peeling and other procedures aimed at treatment in those areas where varicose veins do not have a pronounced manifestation;
- one visit to the bath implies a maximum of 5 visits to the steam bath, in case of more pronounced symptoms of varicose veins, they should be reduced to 3;
- visiting a steam room, you need to monitor how the legs are located - they should be at the same level as the body.
High temperatures can cause discomfort in the legs where the signs of varicose veins are most pronounced. To get rid of such manifestations, it is worth covering the affected areas with a damp cloth.
Advantages and disadvantages of sauna for varicose veins
When visiting a sauna during varicose veins, you should weigh the possible risks. This procedure can affect both negatively and positively. Among the beneficial effects of going to the sauna is an increase in vascular tone, stimulation of blood flow to the tissues, and removal of fatigue and heaviness in the legs. By improving blood circulation, more oxygen and nutrients are delivered to the tissues.
Negative effects of water procedures in the sauna include excessive load on blood vessels, blood stagnation and possible disease progression. The mechanism of complications begins with excessive blood flow to the tissues.
With a hereditary predisposition to varicose veins, but in the absence of symptoms, a visit to the bath will be an excellent prevention.
Due to the disease, the vessels cannot bear a large load. Blood stagnates in them and blood clots form. Therefore, before you decide to visit the sauna, you should consult your doctor.
Advantages and disadvantages of a contrast shower
Contrast shower is used as prevention of varicose veins. It is also included in the complex therapy of the initial stage of the disease. Its positive effect is aimed at improving blood circulation and increasing vascular tone.
A contrast shower will not harm if you follow these rules:
- the procedure must be performed regularly;
- you must monitor the choice of water temperature regime - it should be average, not lead to hypothermia or overheating;
- you should get used to a contrast shower, starting with warm water and lowering its temperature by 1 degree every day;
- the first attempts to adopt the procedure start with a 2-minute shower, gradually increasing it to 5 minutes;
- every 10 seconds you need to change the water temperature;
- you cannot hold the stream of water in one place for more than 2 seconds, it needs to be moved from the lower back to the legs.
In the initial stages of the disease, the contrast shower should be approached with caution. Sudden changes in temperature can lead to pain.
Prolonged exposure to heat leads to varicose veins.
The blood in them can flow too fast and unevenly. As a result, edema occurs. Thus, enlarged veins become a contraindication for using a contrast shower with warm water. The procedure should be abandoned if there is an average or severe stage of the disease.
Advantages and disadvantages of heat load for varicose veins
If there is pronounced varicose veins, it is strictly forbidden to resort to heat stress. This also applies to steaming the legs, warm baths. The negative impact of thermal procedures is associated with dry air in saunas.
This leads to deterioration of the structure of blood vessels, to their fragility. Due to high temperatures, the area affected by varicose veins increases. The vessels cannot cope with ensuring normal blood flow due to the increase in the volume of blood circulation.
If, after the consultation, the doctor prescribed a visit to the baths and a contrast shower in addition to the main methods of treating varicose veins in the initial stage, you must follow the rules for the procedures. Only in this case will it be useful.