What Is Venous Insufficiency?
Venous insufficiency is a condition in which the blood in the leg veins is not returning upwards from the legs to the heart as well as it needs to. Often people with varicose veins or even spider veins, in their legs suffer from insufficiency. The resulting congestion of blood in the legs can cause symptoms such as tiredness, heaviness, throbbing , swelling (also called edema) and ulcerations (loss of tissue in the skin). These conditions don’t generally all occur at once but rather develop over years as the leg veins worsen.
What Are Symptoms Of Venous Insufficiency?
It is common for people to not realize that their leg pains are the result of the stagnation of venous blood. As Dr. Martin L. Schulman of the Schulman Vein And Laser Center, likes to point out, ‘if a person didn’t urinate for a whole day, their bladder would be more enlarged then it should be and discomfort would occur. The same thing can happen with venous insufficiency when the veins are more distended then they should be’. The most common underlying cause is superficial venous reflux. To further explain this, first understand that the venous systems of the legs are primarily divided into superficial (surface) and deep vein networks. There are one directional valves in the veins that help the blood return to the heart in a step-by-step upward direction. The valves prevent blood in the leg veins from traveling downward due to gravity. If your legs have varicose veins, the valves become to far apart to meet and blood can then be held in the legs or drawn downward due to gravity. This all can lead to the congestion, swelling, throbbing and other symptoms that cause leg pains.
What Can Be Done To Treat Varicose Veins, Spider Veins And Venous Insufficiency ?
Fortunately the invasive and painful stripping and ligation of yesteryear have been replaced with newer modern ways to treat both varicose and spider veins. Treatments are virtually painless and done in our offices and require either no anesthesia or only local anesthesia, and all patients are able to drive themselves home. If you are suffering from leg pains, swelling or varicose and or spider veins, schedule an appointment at one of our vein centers today. Our qualified team of board certified physicians and staff would be happy to assist you on the path to regain your leg health.