According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, about 150,000 new patients are diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency each year, and about $500 million is spent on caring for those patients. The disease involves veins that send blood from your limbs, which isn’t benign, as Medscape puts it.
Venous insufficiency happens when veins find it hard to flow blood back to your heart. Typically, venous valves take care of that, but sometimes, they fail, and blood flows backward. When that happens, blood collects in your legs. If left untreated, your legs may swell and change. Besides, you could develop varicose veins and leg ulcers.
This article will give you the causes, symptoms, and diagnosis of venous insufficiency. Furthermore, it will tell you the available modes of treatment and the places where you can seek such treatment, like Modern Vascular in New Mexico and Modern Vascular Albuquerque. That way, you’ll overcome the pain and disabling effects of the condition.
Venous Insufficiency: A Quick Rundown
Possible Causes
- Pregnancy
- Overweightness or obesity
- Family history
- Leg damage due to injury
- Blood clots
- Smoking
- Lack of exercise
- High blood pressure in leg veins
- Inflammation
Symptoms
- A painful sensation when walking but stops when you sit and rest
- Varicose veins
- Leg ulcers
- Brown-colored skin on the legs, mostly near ankles
- Restlessness in the leg area
- Muscle spasms
Diagnosis
The healthcare providers at Modern Vascular in New Mexico and Modern Vascular Albuquerque will take your medical history and give you an exam. Besides, they may take you through a Duplex ultrasound, an imaging test, to look at the structure of the veins and the blood flow within them.
Treatment
Based on your medical history, age, overall health, and the seriousness of the course, the healthcare providers at Modern Vascular in New Mexico and Modern Vascular Albuquerque will present one or many treatment options. They’ll also check your specific signs and symptoms and how severe your case is. Here are some of the treatment plans:
Regular Exercise
Walking improves blood flow, and so does keeping your legs elevated. The professional involved may develop a particular exercise regiment to reduce the swelling, but often, they will also give the plan alongside medication.
Medication
To help heal your leg ulcers, your healthcare provider will give you medicine. They will increase blood flow through the problematic veins, and with compression therapy, your bout of venous insufficiency will subside. Treatments that draw excess body fluid are not used often, but they can come into play if your diagnosis includes kidney disease or heart failure.
Sclerotherapy
If your case is more serious, your healthcare provider at Modern Vascular Albuquerque will inject a chemical into the vein. The chemical will scar the veins and make them functionless, and the other healthy veins will take the blood back to the heart. For the scarred veins, your body will absorb them.
Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
At Modern Vascular in New Mexico, the medical expert may recommend a less-invasive procedure known as radiofrequency ablation (RFA). They insert a tube into the vein and then pass heat through the catheter to close it. That reduces blood pools, and your overall blood flow will improve.
Natural and Non-Medical Ways
Apart from the vascular procedures, Modern Vascular in New Mexico and Modern Vascular Albuquerque will present you with these natural ways of mitigating the effects of venous insufficiency:
- Compression stockings
- Elevation
- Proper skin care
- Foods and supplements
Where to Go
Vascular healthcare providers at Modern Vascular in New Mexico and Modern Vascular Albuquerque can help you with your venous insufficiency. Check them out and see what they have to offer. Your Venous insufficient problem will be gone forever.