What causes the pain in varicose veins?
As a rule, varicose veins express themselves through swelling, a feeling of heaviness, tension, pressure or itching. In rare cases, the pressure in the vessels can also cause slight pain when standing or walking. However, painful varicose veins are often an indication of a complication and should therefore be clarified by a doctor.
One possibility is an inflammation of the vein, a so-called “varicophlebitis”. This is an inflammation of the vessel wall, which manifests itself as a reddened, hardened and usually painful varicose vein. Another possible cause of the pain is a “varicothrombosis”.
A blood clot forms within the vein (= oxygen-deficient vein), which reduces or even completely stops the transport of blood. A thrombosis is usually accompanied by redness and swelling of the affected leg, although the symptoms improve when the affected leg is elevated. Untreated, varicophlebitis can lead to varicothrombosis, as the inflamed vessel wall is particularly prone to the formation of a clot. Click here for the main article: Spider veins.
What causes the pain in varicose veins in the thigh?
Pain from varicose veins is basically caused by the same things, regardless of where on the body you have them. However, the symptoms manifest themselves differently. The closer the affected vessel is to the center of the body, the more pronounced the complaints are. There is only one large, superficial vein on the thigh, which runs along the inside of the thigh to the foot, the so-called rose vein (V. saphena magna). If the varicose veins in the thigh are painful, either a deep vein, a connecting vein or the rose vein is affected.
What causes the pain of varicose veins in the lower leg of the calf
In cases of slight pain, itching and a feeling of tension in the lower leg, a pronounced varicose vein can be the cause of the discomfort. If the pain is more severe, however, thrombosis (varicothrombosis) or inflammation (varicophlebitis) is more likely and should be clarified by a doctor. In addition to the rose vein running along the inside of the lower leg (V. saphena magna), there is another large vein that runs along the back of the calf and can be the cause of complaints (V. saphena parva). More about this topic here: Pain in the calf
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