Medically Reviewed by Carmen M. Piccolo, DO

Swelling in your legs and ankles. New varicose veins. Legs that are restless, heavy, tired, aching or discolored.

These are the typical signs of a painful and potentially dangerous disease of your blood vessels.

“In the body, arteries carry fresh blood from the heart to body parts while veins return blood to the heart for re-oxygenation,” says McLeod Vascular Surgeon Carmen Piccolo. “The veins in your leg have valves that open and close, pushing the blood upward to heart. When the vein walls are weakened or these valves are damaged, not all the blood gets pumped upward. Blood stays in the veins and long-term Chronic Venous Insufficiency or CVI develops. It happens to more women than men and can appear in pregnancy.”

One of the most common causes of CVI is blood clots in the deeper veins in the leg. This deep vein thrombosis or DVT increases pressure in the vein and leads to failure of the valves. As the blood pools, the legs swell (a condition known as edema).

ARE YOU AT RISK?

Nearly 40% of women and 20% of men have significant leg vein problems by age 50. Factors that can lead to CVI include:

• A family history of vascular problems.
• A history of one or more blood clots.
• Multiple pregnancies.
• Prolonged standing or heavy lifting.

When you see a Vascular Specialist, they may use an ultrasound to see the blood flow in your legs. In some cases a CT scan or MRI will be used to evaluate the veins, look for blockages and to monitor the blood flow.

TREATMENTS

There’s much you can do to help reduce the swelling and pain.

• Wear compression stockings to reduce swelling and help push the blood to the heart.
• When you’re sitting, elevate your feet above your thighs when you are sitting.
• When you’re lying down, elevate your feet above your heart when you are lying down.
• Exercise (walking, for instance) to strengthen the calf muscles and circulation.

If your condition is serious, you may develop wounds from the skin breaking down. These need to aggressive care to avoid infection or complications. Your physician may direct you to a special Wound Care Clinic.

WHEN YOU NEED SURGERY

Your Vascular Specialist may suggest one of several options that will either clear or seal off varicose veins:

• One treatment involves injecting a chemical into affected veins (sclerotherapy). The veins are scarred and can no longer fill with blood. Blood finds alternate healthy veins to return to the heart. The body eventually absorbs the scarred veins.
• Using a small tube (catheter), the surgeon placed it near the problem vein and scars the vein with electricity to scar (ablation), closing it.
• Problem veins or clusters of varicose veins can be removed by a surgeon. Or they surgeon can bypass the problem area by sewing a graft around the bad area.
• Some surgeons can actually repair the faulty valves in the vein, restoring healthy flow to the heart.
• The surgeon may also put a stent, sort of like a ballpoint pen spring, inside the problem vein to reopen the vessel.

ACTION YOU CAN TAKE

Schedule an appointment with your personal physician or a Vascular Specialist, if:

• You have redness in your legs along with sudden pain or swelling.
• If you have painful varicose veins and they are painful.
• The condition does not improve by wearing compression stockings or avoiding too much time on your feet.

You May also find these articles useful:

Peripheral Arterial Disease: Blocking Oxygen to the Limbs and Organs

So Many Specialties – Unraveling the Heart & Vascular Physicians

Leg Pain When You Walk? Claudication Defined, Easily Treated

Find a Vascular Specialist near you.

 

Sources include: McLeod Health, New England Journal of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, American Venous Forum, Lymphedema Blog, Annals of Epidemiology, Vascular Disease Foundation, American Heart Association, Society for Vascular Surgery