Venous insufficiency, also called vein disease, is basically a condition that develops when your valves and/or venous walls in your leg veins aren’t working properly. In turn, this makes it hard for the blood to go back to your heart from your legs, as venous insufficiency causes blood to collect or pool in the affected veins.
If you think you have vein disease, a consultation with one of our physicians here at Advanced Vascular Associates in our Sparta, NJ, Pompton Plains, NJ, Teaneck, NJ, or Morristown, NJ, office will determine your exact condition and proper treatments.
The Consequences of Untreated Vein Disease
Left untreated, the swelling and pressure will increase until the capillaries in the affected leg burst. This could result in internal tissue damage and local tissue inflammation. Worse, this could lead to open sores or ulcers in the skin called venous stasis ulcers that could be hard to heal and easily infected. Left unmanaged, this infection could spread to the tissues surrounding the ulcers, a condition called cellulitis.
Treatment Options for Vein Disease
Vein disease, like all diseases, is easier to treat in its initial stages. Mainly, the treatment goals include reducing blood pooling and preventing the formation of leg ulcers. Some of these treatment methods include the following:
- Lose excess weight if you’re overweight.
- Avoid extended periods of sitting or standing. If you must sit or stand for a prolonged time, extend and flex your ankles, feet, and legs 10 times or so every 20 to 30 minutes to prevent blood from pooling in your leg veins.
- Always elevate the legs when lying or sitting down.
- Consider wearing compression stockings.
- Work out regularly.
- Take antibiotics as prescribed for skin infections.
- Other medicines. Your doctor might prescribe other medicines if you’re diagnosed with post-thrombotic syndrome to prevent more blood clots from forming.
Depending on the severity of your vein disease, your doctor in our Sparta, NJ, Pompton Plains, NJ, Teaneck, NJ, or Morristown, NJ, office may recommend endovenous thermal ablation or sclerotherapy. Endovenous thermal ablation utilizes high-frequency radio waves or laser to deliver intense heat to the treated veins, in turn, closing them off with minimal bruising and bleeding. Sclerotherapy, on the other hand, entails injecting a solution into affected varicose veins or spider veins to make them collapse and disappear.
Take note that for less than 10% of individuals who will need surgery, the treatment options include stripping and vein ligation, bypass surgery, and ambulatory phlebectomy/microincision.
Concerned About Vein Disease? We Can Help
Schedule an evaluation here at Advanced Vascular Associates by calling our offices at (973) 540-9700.