Non-Surgical Treatments

Guidelines for preventing varicose veins:

• Raise your legs whenever possible with your feet above the level of your heart.
• Exercise every day. Walking, cycling, climbing stairs and swimming are excellent ways to exercise your leg veins.
• Maintain your ideal body weight to reduce extra pressure on your legs.
• When sitting for prolonged periods, move your legs frequently. Moving your ankles and flexing calf muscles will help keep blood moving in your legs. Avoid sitting for extended periods. On long car or airplane trips, you should get up every few hours to stretch you legs.
• Wear compression stockings. Graduated compression provides external pressure) to aid in blood return to the heart. Compression stockings provide an effective non-operative option for control of symptoms by keeping varicose veins compressed and preventing leg swelling.   Most insurance companies require compression stocking treatment before consideration for other operative treatments. 

Guidelines for preventing venous thrombosis (DVT/PE):

• Know your risk factors.  These include advanced age, family history, prior clotting episodes, hormonal changes, malignancy, obesity, prolonged immobility during travel, serious injury, surgery or other hospitalizations.
• Take proper precautions when placed into high risk situations like major operations, periods of immobility, prolonged travel, and hospitalizations. Ask your doctor if you are being protected from DVT/PE.
• Undergo a DVT/PE risk assessment prior to potential high risk situations.