In straightforward terms, venous insufficiency is when leg veins don’t properly return blood to the heart. The veins in your legs contain venous valves that are meant to handle this job. When they do not function efficiently, blood pools, forming spider veins, larger reticular veins, or raised, corded varicose veins. Venous insufficiency is often dismissed as an appearance issue, but Board-certified Manhattan vein doctors, Michael Nguyen, and Mary So caution patients that the condition can be a real concern.
Risk factors associated with venous insufficiency
These circumstances may increase your likelihood of developing venous insufficiency:
- Excess weight.
- Standing or sitting for long periods of time.
- (women are more prone, due to the hormone progesterone).
- Pregnancy.
- If you are very tall.
- Age.
- Heredity – a family history of vein problems.
When unsightly becomes significant
Varicose veins affect more than 30 million women and men in this country. Their tortured, enlarged blood vessels are more than a cosmetic problem. Venous insufficiency can cause discomfort and have serious consequences including:
- A dull ache or feeling of heaviness.
- Leg cramps.
- Tingling and itching sensations.
- Pain from standing.
- Leg swelling.
- Changes in skin color and condition on legs and ankles.
- Ulcers on the skin.
- Slow healing on lower extremities.
- Chronic venous insufficiency – a long term condition.
Start improving your health and comfort with a call to Vein Institute & Pain Centers of America in Manhattan, at (212) 810-9525. We begin with a thorough physical examination and evaluation of your medical history. Ultrasound testing helps the doctor analyze blood flow and rule out other potential problems. If the diagnosis is venous insufficiency, you may only need to make a few lifestyle changes to halt its progress conservatively.
For severe cases, we utilize time tested methods and the latest effective treatment technologies including sclerotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, VenaSealâ„¢, EVLT, and ambulatory phlebectomy.