Should Heat Be Applied to Varicose Veins?

When your muscles are sore, you might reach for a heat pack. But, should you apply heat to the pain in your varicose veins? No. Heat and varicose veins do not mix. Heat can cause your veins to swell. Your blood will then pool into those larger veins and causes the damaged varicose veins to become even more painful. This is due to the increased pressure within the damaged veins. There are some things that you need to avoid:

• Even though it feels good on muscles to sit in a hot tub, you should avoid doing this. Hot tubs can reach very high temperatures and it can aggravate your legs if you have varicose veins.

• After a long workout, your muscles might enjoy the feel of a hot sauna or steam room. The feeling that you have with varicose veins is like that of sore muscles, but do not confuse the two. Steam rooms and saunas will not ease the pain of venous insufficiency.

• Hot packs, or heated packs, are a convenient way to ease soreness in the body. Avoid these as well.

• Sitting in the direct sunlight on a hot, sunny Florida day should be avoided. Sit under an umbrella or in the shade of your lanai to enjoy the warm weather.

Most people who have varicose veins will attempt to ease their discomfort through home remedies such as heat packs and hot baths. This makes sense to do, but in the end, will cause you more discomfort since your veins will swell.

If you are suffering from venous insufficiency in your legs or anywhere else in your body such as the arms, reach out to a vein doctor for an evaluation. In fact, Eveinscreening.com has a FREE evaluation tool online that you can access through this link. Do not suffer from varicose veins any longer. Find the help that you need to live a pain-free life.