Are your veins healthy?
In healthy veins, blood travels in one direction only: up the leg to the heart. To prevent backward flow of blood down the leg, a healthy leg contains valves that open and close with the contraction of the leg muscles. When these valves fail to completely close blood can begin to pool in the vein. This in turn causes the vein to expand and creates the visible bulging known as varicose veins. If left untreated varicose veins can lead to a restless feeling in the leg, swelling of the ankles, pain the legs, difficulty walking, and even open sores.

What causes varicose veins?
- Heredity. Family History is a contributing factor in 70% of all varicose veins.
- Pregnancy. The pressure from the baby on the pelvis obstructs returning blood flow from the leg veins. The chronic elevated pressure in the veins cause them to dilate and the valves to malfunction.
- Age.
- Obesity.
- Occupations. Some jobs require long periods of standing or sitting, which causes blood to pool in the legs.

Heredity is the number one factor causing varicose veins. An inherited weakness of the vein wall and vein valves contribute to enlargement of normal veins such that they become varicose. Women are more likely to suffer from varicose veins, especially because of pregnancy and hormonal factors. In addition to family history and female gender, other aggravating factors predisposing to development of varicose veins include advancing age, obesity, trauma, intense weight-training exercise, and occupations involving prolonged sitting or standing.

Signs and symptoms
There are many diverse symptoms and physical changes that can occur in your legs from venous reflux disease. They may include:
- An achy or heavy feeling in your legs, and burning, throbbing, muscle cramping and swelling in your lower legs. Prolonged sitting or standing tends to make your legs feel worse.
- Itching around one or more of your veins.
- Skin ulcers near your ankle, which represent a severe form of vascular disease and require immediate attention.
- Varicose veins are dark purple or blue in color and may appear twisted and bulging — like cords. They commonly appear on the backs of the calves or on the inside of the leg. However, they can form anywhere on your legs, from your groin to your ankle.
- Spider veins are similar to varicose veins, but they're smaller. Spider veins are found closer to the skin's surface and are often red or blue. They occur on the legs, but can also be found on the face. Spider veins vary in size and often look like a spider's web or a tree branch.

Prevention
There's no way to completely prevent varicose veins. But improving your circulation and muscle tone can reduce your risk of developing varicose veins or getting additional ones. Traditional, common-sense approaches include:
- Exercise. Get your legs moving. Walking is a great way to encourage blood circulation in your legs. Your doctor can recommend an appropriate activity level for you.
 
- Watch your weight, and your diet. Shedding excess pounds takes unnecessary pressure off your veins. What you eat makes a difference, too. Follow a low-salt, high-fiber diet to prevent the swelling that may result from water retention and constipation.

- Watch what you wear. Avoid high heels. Low-heeled shoes work calf muscles more, which is better for your veins. Don't wear tight clothes around your waist, legs or groin. Tight panty-leg girdles, for instance, can restrict circulation.

- Elevate your legs. To improve venous circulation, take several short breaks daily to elevate your legs above the level of your heart. For example, lie down with your legs resting on three or four pillows.

- Avoid long periods of sitting or standing. Make a point of changing your position frequently to encourage blood flow. Try to move around at least every 30 minutes.

- Don't sit with your legs crossed. This position can aggravate circulation problems.