Imagine for a moment that you are booked into a wonderful hotel for a few days. Your legs are aching and you don't feel like you can walk around and see the tourist sights in your destination. However, there's a spa inside of your hotel that offers massage therapy treatments. Does the idea of getting a full body massage to ease those aching muscles sound like a good plan? You might want to think twice if the pain in your legs is caused by varicose veins.
As described in a recent article profiling the work of a massage therapist (which you can read here), there is some increased risk to the massage therapy patient if he or she has varicose veins. Although the risk is minimal, there is some chance that rubbing the veins could release clots that could then cause damage in the body. It is important to discuss this with your massage therapist before getting any sort of intense massage.
More importantly, you might want to make an appointment with a vascular surgeon so that you can check whether your varicose veins are merely a cosmetic problem or rather a symptom of a bigger health issue. By treating your varicose veins, you can protect yourself from some serious problems. And you can also more safely enjoy those massages!
Question of the Day: Would you get a massage treatment even with your varicose veins?
