Venous Disease: Symptoms, Pain, and Treatment Taking the Right Steps to Alleviate Leg Pain

Posted on September 8, 2021

What happens when the valves in the veins in your legs don’t work properly? If you’ve noticed bluish blood vessels appearing on the skin or aching and swelling in the legs, you might be suffering from venous insufficiency. People who have veinous insufficiency have faulty valves in the legs that don’t return blood back to the heart. The blood pools in the legs and can cause several symptoms. Varicose veins are the most visible symptom of the disease, though you may also experience other discomforts in your legs.

If you have venous insufficiency, you may experience:

• Spider veins – small, twisted blood vessels that appear on the skin
• Varicose veins – large, twisted, swollen blood vessels
• Aching, swelling, or tiredness in the legs
• Skin problems in the legs
• Leg ulcers
• Blood clots or deep vein thrombosis

Spider veins or varicose veins may start as a cosmetic problem but can become more serious as the condition progresses. It’s important to seek an evaluation by a vein specialist if you notice symptoms of vein disease. Effective treatments offered by vein clinics can help patients in just one visit.

Treatment

To remedy venous insufficiency, there are self-care techniques that don’t require going into a medical clinic. These include:

• Exercise
• Weight Loss
• Compression socks
• Keep your legs elevated
• Avoid standing or sitting for too long

Self-care techniques can help ease pain and prevent the symptoms from getting worse. However, because venous insufficiency is a progressive disease, it is important get to the root of the problem by seeking treatment at a vein center. The two main treatments for faulty veins are sclerotherapy and endovenous thermal ablation. 

Sclerotherapy – This is a treatment for spider veins, which are surface-level damaged veins that are mostly a cosmetic problem. A chemical solution is injected into the spider vein which causes the vein to gradually close and disappear.

Endovenous thermal ablation – This is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a radiofrequency laser to permanently closer faulty veins. Minimal sedation is necessary and the procedure also results in less pain and a shorter recovery time.

Ambulatory phlebectomy – This is a minimally invasive procedure ideal for varicose veins. Under local anesthesia, small incisions are made on the skin around the varicose vein. A small phlebectomy hook is then eased into the incision to remove the damaged vein.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of venous disease, don’t wait to seek treatment. Please reach out to our team of vein specialists by requesting a consultation here.