Chronic Venous Insufficiency/Varicose Veins Q & A
What is chronic venous insufficiency?
As blood cycles throughout the body, the veins usually carry the blood from your feet, up the leg, and back to your heart. Venous insufficiency occurs when blood in one or more leg veins doesn’t flow in the proper direction, and begins to flow back down the vein, and collects in “pools”. This pooling can cause pain or a “heaviness” in the legs and can lead to enlarged, bulging, twisted, veins that are often visible through the skin, called varicose veins.
What causes chronic venous insufficiency?
Your body uses several mechanisms to propel blood through your veins. Leg muscles contract when you walk, pushing blood upward. Smooth muscles that line the veins also contract to keep blood flowing. Valves in the veins open to let blood flow up toward the heart, then close to prevent it from going backward. When one or more of these mechanisms doesn’t work properly, blood flows down the vein, collecting in pools.
Some of the common risk factors that contribute to chronic venous insufficiency include:
- Age 50 or older
- Obesity
- Multiple pregnancies
- History of blood clots (deep vein thrombosis)
- Smoking
- Family history of chronic venous insufficiency
- Damaged valves in the veins of the legs
- Leg trauma
- Extended sitting or standing
- History of varicose veins
- Inactive lifestyle
- Phlebitis
What are the symptoms of venous insufficiency?
Chronic venous insufficiency only worsens over time, so it’s crucial to call Vascular Health Institute when you notice symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent complications. The symptoms associated with venous insufficiency include:
- Varicose veins
- Aching or tired legs
- Swollen lower legs and ankles
- Leathery skin on your legs
- Itchy skin on your legs
- Ulcers on the legs or feet
When chronic venous insufficiency goes untreated, tiny capillaries can burst, giving your skin a reddish-brown appearance and making it sensitive to touch. Over time, broken capillaries cause open sores on the skin’s surface — venous stasis ulcers — that don’t heal easily and can become infected. This infection may spread to the surrounding tissues.
How are chronic venous insufficiency/varicose veins treated?
Each patient’s treatment is customized, but may include:
- Sclerotherapy: chemicals are injected directly into veins which collapses and seals them
- Mechanochemical Ablation (MOCA): A special rotating catheter is advanced into the vein and a drug called sclerosant is injected through the catheter to close the vein. This method is often preferred to other methods because no tumescent anesthesia injections or multiple lidocaine injections are needed.
- Laser or Radio Frequency Ablation: laser energy or high-frequency radio waves use heat to close off veins
- Ambulatory Phlebectomy: a portion of vein is removed
If you suffer from itchy, aching, or tired legs, call Vascular Health Institute today at (469) 436-3650, or click to book an appointment online.
CONDITIONS
LATEST NEWS
Coffee and Cardiovascular Disease
Are you one of those people who can’t start their day off right without a cup of coffee? You’re not alone, but a recent study out of Australia suggests that too much coffee can lead to cardiovascular disease. Time to rethink your morning routine? From the study, sourced from https://www.unisa.edu.au/Media-Centre/Releases/2021/deja-brew-another-shot-for-lovers-of-coffee/…
Heart Disease Facts
Heart disease affects millions of Americans each year, resulting in anything from mild discomfort to death. According to the CDC, the following are heart disease facts everyone should be aware of. Heart Disease Facts in the United States Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and…
How to Take Care of Your Heart
Tips to Keep Your Heart Healthy Your heart powers the body. It provides the individual cells with oxygen and nutrients. It’s the little engine that could – until it no longer can. While we can’t fight time, we can help keep our hearts healthy and pumping with a little due…
Managing Diabetes During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Diabetes Is Still Here, Too You’ve heard a lot about the deadly coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, and maybe even some types of cancer, for good reason lately. However, it seems that Diabetes has taken a back seat in terms of importance. If you’re one of the many people who have Diabetes,…
Peripheral Artery Disease in Dallas
Dallas Has a Vascular Disease Problem We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but people in the United States, more specifically Dallas, aren’t getting healthier. Despite a new diet fad popping up on social media every other month, and every fast food chain trying to capitalize on the…
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) – Silent but Deadly
Over 18 million Americans have Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), yet over half of them are unaware. PAD is a serious disease affecting the arteries that supply blood to the legs and feet. When excess cholesterol builds up in these arteries, blood flow is reduced. This reduced flow robs the tissue…
Leg Pain Could Be Serious
Muscle cramping in your hips, thighs, or calves when you walk, climb stairs, or exercise could be a warning sign of a serious disease called Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). PAD affects over 18 million Americans and can lead to amputation and even death if left untreated. Many Seniors chalk leg…
The Link Between Diabetes and Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
Peripheral Arterial Disease, or PAD, occurs when blood vessels in the legs are narrowed or blocked by fatty deposits, causing a decrease of blood flow to the feet and legs. PAD is a condition where many of the arteries that lead to areas outside the brain and heart become blocked….
Taking Steps to Better Health
If your legs or hips hurt when you walk, climb stairs or exercise it could be due peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD occurs when certain arteries narrow due to blockage. This most often affects the arteries servicing the legs, but it can affect the arteries to the arms, chest, and…
Take Your Socks Off!
In these colder months of winter it feels good to wrap up, put on some warm fuzzy socks and sit by a nice fire sipping a hot drink. It’s not typically the time of year to think about taking off your socks, but maybe you should. The Center for Disease…
Take Control of Your Health
Being diagnosed with peripheral artery disease (PAD) means that you don’t have time to slowly ramp into a healthier lifestyle. In order to maximize your efforts, not only is it important to make healthy food choices but in order to reverse artery blockage, it may also be necessary to make…
Substitutes for Better Health
By now most Americans know in order to live a longer, more productive life they need to exercise regularly and make healthy food choices. Those who have been diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) especially should make these changes. However, most find that knowing what they are supposed to do…
Should you be tested for Peripheral artery disease?
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is when the blood vessels carrying your blood from your heart to your extremities have narrowed or are blocked by plaque. PAD is a growing health problem throughout the United States and according to the Center for Disease Control nearly 75% of those who have PAD have not been diagnosed. …
Benefits of Losing Weight
It seems that everyone is trying to lose weight these days. There are many choices out there – the Paleo diet, the Keto diet, the low-carb diet, the low-fat diet, the high-protein diet, Intermittent Fasting, and on and on. But why? Why do so many people want to lose weight? Many people decide to lose weight because they…
