A woman with varicose veins complains of aching legs. What is the best intervention to relieve her symptoms?

Elevating the legs periodically is a highly effective intervention for relieving symptoms associated with varicose veins, particularly aching and discomfort. When the legs are elevated, gravity helps reduce venous pressure in the veins of the legs. This reduces swelling and allows for better venous return to the heart, ultimately alleviating the feeling of heaviness or aching.

While other interventions can also be beneficial, elevating the legs is often the simplest and most immediate way to provide relief. Support stockings can help by providing compression and improving blood flow, but this method may not be as directly effective in a short-term sense as periodic elevation. Frequent walking is encouraged as it promotes muscle pump action, which improves venous return, yet it may not address the acute symptoms the patient is experiencing as directly as elevating the legs. Surgical consultation is generally reserved for cases where conservative management fails or the symptoms are severe and not manageable through non-invasive methods. Thus, elevating the legs periodically addresses the patient's immediate symptom relief effectively.