Patient was instructed regarding complications of varicose veins as follows: Worsening pain and muscle cramps in the legs with activity and exercise, can limit exercise tolerance and contribute to diminishing muscle tone, further deteriorating the varicosities. Sluggish flow with prolonged stagnation of blood in the lower extremities can also result in formation of clots in the lower extremities, which carry the risk of traveling up the limb and getting deposited in vital tissues, thus leading [...]

Patient was instructed regarding risk factors for development of varicose veins as follows: Obesity Morbid obesity with truncal fat exerts significant pressure on the veins of the lower limbs, reduces blood return from the veins to the heart and contributes to increased retention of blood in the veins of lower limbs. Also, increased fat deposition in lower limbs, can contribute poorly to the force driving blood up along the veins, against gravity. This may lead [...]

Patient was instructed regarding risk factors for development of varicose veins as follows: Age With advancing age, the valves in the veins helping with unidirectional blood flow in the lower limbs, towards the heart, lose their ability to regulate the blood flow. Also, the veins lose their elasticity with age, allowing them to stretch beyond limits and accommodate increasing volume of venous blood, thus increasing the chances for formation of varicose veins. Pregnancy Blood volume [...]

Patient was instructed regarding signs and symptoms of varicose veins as follows: Aching pain in the legs, secondary to increased accumulation of blood in the veins Worsening pain and muscle cramps in the legs with activity and exercise, secondary to reduced oxygen supply to the working muscles Dark blue or purple colored cord like veins in the lower limbs, secondary to accumulation of deoxygenated blood in the veins Swelling of the limbs, secondary to venous [...]

Patient was instructed regarding pathophysiology of varicose veins as follows: Draining of blood from the upper body to the heart, such as, head and neck, to the heart, is mainly dependent on gravity, which is a force acting downward in the direction of blood flow. Draining of venous blood from the lower parts of the body, such as, both lower extremities and abdomen, to the heart, happens to be an issue, as this volume of [...]