Vein disease in the leg can cause pain, swollen legs, skin changes, varicose veins, and evey open sores. These happen when the vein stops working correctly. The veins no longer keep blood moving towards the heart, instead the blood pools in the legs.
Vein disease, or venous insifficiency, can be caused by blood clots (deep vein thrombosis), leg injuries, pregnancy, and weight gain.
Venous insufficiency can be found during a clinical exam and it can be further evaluated by a venous ultrasound. The ultrasound, or venous Doppler, is a painless and fast test that is performed in our office that will check how well the valves in the legs work or if any blockages are present.
Treating venous insufficiency includes using special socks or “compression stockings” to help the vein work effectively. Wound care is important for any open sores. When these treatments dont work, we can perform a procedure to remove damaged veins. This procedure, called venous ablation, is minimially invasive and highly effective therapy to correct the problem. Usually the procedure is performed in less than an hour with minimal medications allowing patients to quickly return to normal activities!