Varicose Vein Surgery Aftercare Guide

Varicose Vein Surgery Aftercare

Vein Surgery can be a trying experience. There can be pain involved and quite a bit of downtime after having surgery done to treat vein issues. Use the time wisely while you have it and you will feel much better in the following months. In this guide, we will go through some of the aftercare recommendations for post vein surgery.

What To Do For Vein Aftercare

Compression Stockings and Veins

We’ve written about compression stockings in the past, but it cannot be understated how valuable they are for varicose vein aftercare. Pressure Stockings or Compression stockings – they can be very tight but need to be worn. The only time compression stockings should be removed is to bathe or shower. Be careful not to take too hot of a shower, this will only hurt the healing process and make your vein surgery aftercare experience that much worse. Make sure they fit right – they might be tight and uncomfortable to start, but the benefits outweigh the discomfort once patients get used to wearing them.

If you are having trouble getting them on, either have someone help you or try while laying down. Lay on your back, bring your knee to your chest (or as close as you can get it), slip the stocking over your foot and pull up to the knee. We recommend our patients put them in this way and many of them find it to be much easier!

Don’t Forget to Stretch

Stretching is beneficial to the healing and recovery when dealing with varicose veins. Typically, varicose veins occur in the lower body, so most leg or hamstring type of stretches can really help and speed up your recovery.

Patients aren’t expected to do extreme stretching! Just a little bit of stretching in the morning and before bed can go a long way. Consider checking out something like this simple routine.
Elevate Your Legs

Usually, a pillow can do the trick for you. Pick a nice spot on the couch or in your bed and get comfortable. Resting is an essential part of vein surgery aftercare. After you’ve got your spot picked out, gently slid a pillow or rolled up blanket underneath your foot. This will help the blood flow and will limit the engorgement of your veins in your legs. This is perhaps the most heavily suggested varicose vein aftercare options.

We wish you all a speedy recovery! Just know and please be certain that there are steps that you can take to make your recovery so much more comfortable for you. Follow this short guide on how to recover as peacefully as possible.

What Not To Do For Vein Aftercare

Avoid Flying after Vein Surgery

Sometimes these things can be unavoidable, but we would do our best to steer clear of flying at least in the immediate days that follow. The change in pressure can greatly affect and engorge veins. The main thing is to not engorge the veins this could cause many issues and make your recovery extra uncomfortable.

Skip the Steam Room

Steam rooms and other such heat therapy situations are not good for patients after vein surgery. The sauna can be great in some situations when the body needs to detoxify and sweat it out, but after vein treatments at Vein Institute of Utah, we don’t recommend it.

When in the sauna, the increased heat can engorge the veins and lead to pain and discomfort. The bottom line is to avoid heat as much as possible while recovering from vascular surgery. Typically, we recommend our patients stay away from unnecessary heat sources for an about a week after surgery.

Popular Treatment Options for Varicose Veins

You have multiple options for the way you treat you varicose veins. From non-surgical options to ones that are surgical in nature, which treatment you need depends on what your vein issue and what your doctor tells you.

If you are considering varicose vein treatment in Chicago and need a team of cerfitied professionals to help you through it, get in touch with Chicago Vein Institute today. We’re happy to discuss your issues, options, and how you can best recover.