Varicose veins are an increasingly common disease. So people have a lot of questions about it. One of the topics that is being actively discussed is whether bathing will harm varicose veins. Consider which bathhouses you can visit with varicose veins, what rules apply and the tradition of visiting a steam room can cause.
Is it possible to take a shower in the bathroom with varicose veins?
Varicose veins in the legs are a disease that puts many restrictions on a person. As for visiting the bath, in the early stages of the disease they are allowed to visit. In addition, bathing procedures in the steam room can be beneficial.
If the disease has moved to the stage of thrombophlebitis, you need to leave the bath, this stage is characterized by the formation of spider veins and dilation of veins.
Being in a room with a temperature that is too high worsens the patient's condition. Therefore, it is better to abandon the shower in favor of a contrast shower or a visit to the swimming pool.
Benefits of bathing for varicose veins
Taking a bath under certain conditions is one of the measures used to treat varicose veins.
The beneficial effect of high temperature in vascular diseases is associated with positive effects such as:
- elimination of blood stagnation by normalizing blood circulation;
- block the focus of inflammation;
- stimulation of the regeneration process of venous tissue;
- elimination of uncomfortable sensations - heaviness and fatigue in the legs.
Bathing is useful for thinning the veins. The effect of temperature strengthens the blood vessels, increasing their tone. Water procedures, when used correctly, cleanse and heal the body. They are one of the preventive measures to reduce the risk of complications of varicose veins if the disease is at stage 1.
Using heating pads, steaming your feet with hot water, and taking high-temperature baths can all cause thrombophlebitis.
Rules for visiting baths with varicose veins
Bathing will not harm varicose veins on the lower legs if you follow the rules for visiting them.
They are as follows:
- take the water procedure on an empty stomach;
- you should refuse to visit the bath if the disease worsens;
- care should be taken to ensure that the vessels are not pinched - in the bathroom you can stand or lie down, but never sit cross-legged;
- a good effect on the condition of the vessel has a massage of the lower part of the legs with a pre-steamed broom, it is better if it is collected from juniper or oak leaves;
- to complete the trip to the bath, you need to shower with cold water and rest on your back.
With varicose veins, the legs should be washed with the evaporation method. It consists of rubbing it with a wet cloth. After that, you need to go to a dry room and wait until the water evaporates. This procedure helps to get rid of swelling and heaviness in the legs. Thanks to him, the risk of repeated exacerbation of varicose veins is reduced.
It is forbidden to visit the bathhouse if moderate or severe varicose veins are diagnosed. Contraindications to this type of water procedure are also thrombophlebitis, the recovery period after surgery and varicose veins complicated by chronic or inflammatory diseases.
Rules for visiting a steam room
It is not necessary to refuse to visit a steam room with varicose veins on the lower part of the legs. It is enough to follow the rules, thanks to which it is possible to prevent the danger caused to the ship by high temperatures.
To reverse the habit of steaming not for harm, but for benefit, the following suggestions will help:
- for the first time you need to enter the steam room for no more than 2-3 minutes, this approach allows the vessel to adapt to high temperatures;
- it is possible to use a broom, peeling and other procedures aimed at healing in areas where varicose veins do not have obvious manifestations;
- one visit to the bathroom implies no more than 5 visits to the steam room, in the case of more pronounced symptoms of varicose veins, they should be reduced to 3;
- visiting the 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 noticeable. To eliminate such manifestations, it is worth covering the affected area with a damp cloth.
Benefits and harms of sauna for varicose veins
When visiting a sauna during varicose veins, you should weigh the possible risks. This procedure can have negative and positive effects. Among the beneficial effects of visiting the sauna, there is an increase in vascular tone, stimulation of blood flow to the tissues, and removal of fatigue and heaviness in the legs. By increasing blood circulation, more oxygen and nutrients are delivered to the tissues.
The negative effects of water procedures in the sauna include excessive pressure on blood vessels, blood stasis and possible disease development. The mechanism of the formation of complications begins with excessive blood flow to the tissue.
With a hereditary tendency to varicose veins, but if there are no symptoms, a visit to the bath will be an excellent prevention.
Because of the disease, the ship does not tolerate a large load. Blood stagnates in it and blood clots form. Therefore, before deciding to visit the sauna, you should consult your doctor.
The benefits and harms of a contrast shower
Contrast baths are used to prevent varicose veins. It is also included in the complex therapy of the early stages of the disease. Its positive effects are aimed at improving blood circulation and improving vascular tone.
A contrast shower will not harm if you follow these rules:
- the procedure must be performed periodically;
- you need to monitor the choice of water temperature regime - it should be average, not lead to hypothermia or overheating;
- you should get used to contrast showers, starting with warm water and lowering its temperature by 1 degree every day;
- the first attempt to practice the procedure starts with a bath for 2 minutes, gradually increasing it to 5 minutes;
- every 10 seconds you need to change the water temperature;
- you cannot hold the flow of water in one place for more than 2 seconds, you need to move it from the lower back to the legs.
In the early stages of the disease, contrast baths should be approached with caution. Sudden changes in temperature can lead to the manifestation of pain.
Prolonged exposure to heat will cause varicose veins.
The blood in it can flow too quickly and unevenly. As a result, edema is formed. Therefore, varicose veins are a contraindication to the use of a contrast shower with hot water. This procedure should be omitted if there is an average or severe level of the disease.
Benefits and harms of heat load for varicose veins
If there are obvious varicose veins, it is strictly forbidden to use heat pressure. This also applies to steaming feet, hot baths. The negative effects of thermal procedures are associated with dry air in the sauna.
It leads to deterioration in the structure of blood vessels, to their fragility. Due to the high temperature, the area affected by varicose veins increases. The blood vessels are unable to accommodate ensuring normal blood flow due to the increased amount of blood circulation.
If, after consultation, the doctor prescribes a visit to the bathroom and a contrast shower in addition to the main method of treating varicose veins in the early stages, you must follow the rules for the procedure. Only in this case will they benefit.