All People Who Have Had Varicose Vein Surgery or Procedures Need Manual Hands-On Therapy
What to Expect After Varicose Vein Surgery or Procedure
- For 1-3 weeks after surgery or your procedure you could still be experiencing pain and bruising
- For a month or so after the treatment you could have tightness in your leg where the vein was treated. That area could look red and feel warm for a week or so
- No baths or pools for a week after surgery
- Avoid running and lifting anything more than 20 lb for 1-2 weeks after the surgery or procedure
- Move 10 minutes each hour
- Elevate your legs when sleeping
- Wear compressions socks for 3-4 weeks after surgery or procedure
One of Four Things Can Occur After You Heal From Varicose Vein Surgery or Procedure
- Your leg feels great!
- You need some follow up procedures to continue collapsing more veins
- You have a new problem with your leg. Now you have lymphatic congestion and puffiness or edema.
- This means that the alternative venous route up and out of the leg is not quite working up to par and the lymphatic fluid is leaking out into the tissue
- Possibly some lymphatic channels were compromised in the surgery or procedure
- You get a new pain elsewhere. Maybe in your pelvis, buttock, groin or a different place.
- This means the blood is draining up and out of your leg well via the alternative pathway, however, there is an obstruction in a different part of your body that cannot keep up with the higher volume of blood coming up and out of the leg. So there is blood getting backed up somewhere higher up.
What Is Vascular Manipulation?
Vascular manipulation is a form of manual hands-on therapy.
It involves very gentle mobilization of veins or arteries and the fascia and tissue around them with my hands.
Why Do I Need Manual Hands-On Vascular Manipulation After My Varicose Veins Surgery or Procedure?
Varicose veins do not occur in isolation from the rest of the body.
The leg does not exist on its own.
The leg is connected to the pelvis, the pelvis is connected to the abdomen, the abdomen is connected to the thorax.
The leg vein cried out and you addressed the pain and dysfunction with a procedure or surgery.
However, there is a reason the varicosity developed.
Very commonly, this is because of some loss of function higher up in the the venous system that caused back up into the leg.
The leg is better now, but the underlying problem likely still exists.
That is why you need vascular manipulation.
If You Feel Great After Varicose Vein Surgery or Procedure You Need Vascular Manipulation Because
- We need to find and fix the underlying obstruction that contributed to the varicose veins in the first way
- If we can find and fix the underlying obstruction, there is decreased probability that more varicosities or other problems will develop
If Your Leg Develops Puffiness, Edema, a New Kind of Pain After Your Surgery or Procedure, You Need Vascular Manipulation Because
- The alternative path of venous return is not working adequately
- Perhaps there is an obstruction higher up that needs to be identified and treated
- The lymphatic system needs to be rehabilitated so you have more comfort
If You Develop A New Symptoms Somewhere Else After Your Varicose Vein Surgery or Procedure You Need Vascular Manipulation Because
There is some blockage that is preventing the higher volume of blood from returning all the way to the lungs.
Visceral and vascular manipulation will identify where the blockage is and support further healing of the venous system.
What to Expect from Manual Hands-On Vascular Manipulation After Varicose Vein Surgery or Procedure
After your varicose vein surgery or procedure, Dr. Caroline Peterson will work with you to rehabilitate your venous return and lymphatic system.
You will lay face up on a treatment table and she will begin by evaluating the venous and lymph return by your collarbones with her hands.
She starts there since that is the endpoint where these fluids drain.
She will also be checking the movement patterns of your organs because if organs are not moving properly, they can obstruct venous and lymph drainage.
Dr. Caroline Peterson will also be checking for adhesions because they can cause vascular and lymphatic constraint.
She will work down from there chest the veins and lymph movement in the chest, then the abdomen, then the pelvis, and finally the legs.
She does all this with her hands.
As she is listening with her hands to your veins and lymph, she will also check the transverse planes that divide the body into compartments.
The veins and lymphatic vessels have to pass through these transverse planes, so the planes must be working properly.
This is a reiterative process because we must get all the blood and lymph into the system in order for the system to work properly.
Will I Need to Take Supplements To Help My Veins Heal?
Yes. Dr. Caroline Peterson will prescribe you medicine to help your veins heal and your blood move well.
She uses herbs like butcher’s broom, horse chestnut, and gotu kola along with vitamin C and bromelain to strengthen veins.
If you are not already on a blood thinner, she will put you on fish oil, a natural blood thinner.
If you are not already on anti-clot medicine, she will put you on natural anti-clot medicine called nattokinase.
Most people who have a history of varicose veins need to take the herbs on and off for life.
When Can I Start Vascular Manipulation After Varicose Vein Surgery?
You can start manual hands-on vascular manipulation after varicose vein surgery after your doctor releases you to go back to your full and active lifestyle.
This will be at least one month after you have your procedure or surgery.
How much manual hands-on visceral/vascular manipulation will I need?
You will need 10-20 hours of manual hands-on visceral/vascular manipulation.
You will probably also need to use castor oil packs religiously to melt adhesions and improve fluid flow.