Problems with blood vessels can turn into very serious diseases. Often people with sore legs after a visit to the doctor ask: "Phlebitis - what is it?" It turns out that this is a vascular disease that can develop for a long time.
Phlebitis is an inflammatory lesion of the walls of the veins of the lower extremities, which can take place in an acute or chronic form. Most often, this disease provokes the development of thrombophlebitis and clogging of blood vessels. If the disease is not treated, it will lead not only to the formation of blood clots, but also to a deterioration in blood circulation, and hence the nutrition of organs and tissues.
Causes of pathology
Phlebitis is a very unpleasant disease. It can be caused by such factors:
- Complicated varicose veins.
- Infection of vessels due to injury.
- Abscess.
- Inflammatory process in the body.
- Chemical burn of a vein, which can be provoked by some medications.
- Inflammatory pathologies of the abdominal organs.
- Finding a limb without movement for a long time.
- Violation of metabolic processes in the body.
- Pregnancyand childbirth.
- Allergic reaction.
Phlebitis is a serious disease that requires immediate treatment. However, it can be overcome if you consult a doctor in the early stages.
Varieties of pathology
Phlebitis is a vascular disease that can be classified as follows:
1. Flow Shape:
- Spicy. It is characterized by very bright and severe symptoms. The patient feels severe pain in the area of the affected vessels.
- Chronic. In this case, the symptoms are almost invisible. The patient may feel periodic mild pain, heaviness.
2. By localization:
- Periflebitis. It is characterized by damage to the upper layer of the vessel. This can only happen if the process of inflammation has spread from the surrounding tissues.
- Endophlebitis. This disease affects the inner lining of the veins. This happens in the process of injury to the vessel due to trauma, due to the injection.
- Panphlebitis. In this case, all the membranes of the vein are damaged.
3. Depending on the cause:
- Painful (during childbirth).
- Migratory.
- Allergic.
- Infectious.
- Post injection.
- Cubital (due to chemical burn).
As you can see, phlebitis (what it is, you already know) is an insidious disease that can develop for more than one week. Detection of pathology in the later stages is fraught with long and difficult treatment.
Symptoms of the disease
Phlebitis (what it is, you have already been told) can manifest itself with the following symptoms:
1. With damage to superficial vessels:
- Tension of the veins.
- Strong enough pain in the affected area.
- General weakness in the body.
- Increase in general temperature, spinning in the head.
- Redness of the skin and its thickening in the affected area.
- The appearance of red stripes along the vessels.
2. For acute deep vein disease:
- Manifestation of general hyperemia.
- The affected limb begins to swell, and severe pain is felt in the most damaged area.
- Increase in overall body temperature.
- Absence of reddening of the skin area over damaged vessels.
It should be noted that redness for this type of lesion is not typical, as is induration.
Diagnostic features
If you suspect that you have phlebitis, treatment should begin only after a thorough examination. In this case, you should contact a phlebologist doctor. He will conduct the following research:
- External examination and palpation of the limb. With superficial pathology, he will feel seals that will resemble fat lumps. To determine deep vessel phlebitis, this procedure is not informative.
- Dopplerography and ultrasound.
- Plebography.
- CT and MRI, which are carried out in conjunction with contrast veins.
- Complete blood count, which will help determine the degree of clotting.
- Bacteriological blood culture.
What complications can occur?
Please note that if you have phlebitis, treatment (drugs in this case are designed to eliminate the inflammation process and improve vascular elasticity) should be done immediately. Otherwise, the following complications may occur:
- Thrombophlebitis. This is the appearance of blood clots on the walls of blood vessels. At any moment, they can break off and lead to a stroke, heart attack, and even instant death.
- Vascular embolism, or occlusion (blockage of blood vessels). Moreover, not only the veins of the lower extremities, but also other vessels can be clogged.
- The appearance of abscesses in the tissues that surround the affected vein. This situation can provoke general intoxication.
- Sclerotic irreversible changes in the vascular walls.
Conservative treatment of pathology
If you are diagnosed with phlebitis, treatment should not be delayed. It provides for the following actions:
- First of all, avoid compression garments and tight bandages.
- The use of compresses with ointments that help restore the functionality and integrity of blood vessels: "Heparin", "Troxevasin".
- Taking anti-inflammatory and non-steroidal medicines: "Reopirin", "Indomethacin", "Butadion", "Movalis".
- If you have phlebitis, the drugs "Glivenol", "Trental" will help improvetissue trophism.
- It is also necessary to monitor the density of the blood so that blood clots do not form in the vessels. To liquefy it, Aspirin Cardio and Cardiomagnyl are used. If the blood flow is very slow, then it is better to use "Heparin".
- If there is a bacterial infection along with damage to the walls of the veins, then the doctor may prescribe the antibiotic Cefuroxime to eliminate it.
- Phlebitis of the lower extremities (you can see the photo in the article) is treated with leeches.
- Physiotherapy treatments: cryotherapy, UHF, acupressure. They help relax muscles, improve blood circulation.
Features of folk treatment
The presented pathology lends itself well to therapy with non-traditional means. The following recipes may help you:
- Applying iodine mesh to the affected area. Thanks to this procedure, you can quickly relieve pain and swelling.
- Red beet tops. To prepare a remedy, you need to take 60 g of dry crushed leaves, mix them with 150 g of fresh raw materials and pour a liter of boiling water. Prepare the product in a glass jar, which must be tightly closed and left overnight. After infusion, the decoction is filtered and taken in half a glass 3 times a day, after meals.
- Buckwheat porridge helps soothe pain and relieve inflammation. To prepare the product, take 100 g of cereal and grind it on a coffee grinder. Furtherstir the raw material with a little water. Apply the resulting slurry to the affected area. The compress should be washed off with cool water after an hour.
- If you have phlebitis of the lower extremities, treatment with folk remedies will have a positive effect. Very popular for the treatment of blood vessels is horse chestnut. To prepare a healing composition, take 1 tbsp. l. crushed bark and fruit powder. Add 200 g of dry red wine to the mixture. Leave the product for 72 hours to infuse. After that, add another half liter of olive oil, and then put on a slow fire until all the wine has evaporated. The finished product is used in the form of compresses that need to be applied all night.
Therapeutic gymnastics
It makes it possible to restore the elasticity of blood vessels, their tone. It is enough to perform only 2 exercises daily:
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent. Place your hands behind and rest them on the floor. Extend your legs at a slow pace, sliding your feet along the surface of the floor covering. Then return to the starting position in the same way.
- Now you should lie on your side. Support your head with one hand, and put the other in front of you. Lift the limb that is located on top all the way up and move it forward, stretching the sock. Next, return your leg to its original position. Repeat the above exercise at least 10 times with each leg.
Such simple exercises can also be performed to prevent phlebitis.
Prevention of pathology
In order for vascular problems not to turn into a very serious disease, it is necessary to prevent them. To do this, it is advisable to follow the simple rules of prevention:
- Give up bad habits, especially smoking.
- Periodically, you need to give your legs a rest. In this case, the limbs must be kept slightly above the level of the body. Simply place a few pillows under them.
- Include vegetables and fruits, dairy products in the diet. At the same time, limit or refuse fried and fatty foods.
- Foods fortified with vitamin K should not be eaten as they thicken the blood.
- If you are prone to varicose veins along a hereditary line, it is necessary to treat its first manifestations in a timely manner. For prevention, you can smear your legs with heparin ointment.
- Do not allow the development of internal or external ulcers.
- Try to prevent injury to the veins.
- Reasonable physical activity will strengthen vascular tone.
- Take blood thinners when needed.
That's all the features of the development and treatment of phlebitis. Do not self-medicate!
