Your veins carry oxygen-poor blood back to your heart. To keep the blood flowing in the right direction, your veins contain one-way valves to prevent blood from flowing backward.
However, if something isn’t quite right with your veins — such as valve damage — the blood flow back to your heart is compromised. This is called venous insufficiency. Left untreated, venous insufficiency can lead to potentially dangerous complications such as deep vein thrombosis.
Thankfully, our experienced team of vascular surgeons here at Vascular Specialists in Tinley Park and Evergreen Park, Illinois, can treat vein insufficiency. At our Vein Care Institute, we can help you avoid the unwanted complications of vein insufficiency with a number of effective treatments.
Treating vein insufficiency as early as possible is important, so how do you know you have vein insufficiency in the first place?
When you have vein insufficiency, the valves in your veins don’t close properly, which allows blood to pool. This is called venous stasis. As blood starts to pool, you may experience symptoms such as:
Some of the symptoms, including itchiness, can be caused by other conditions, such as eczema. However, a vascular ultrasound can confirm if your symptoms are related to vein insufficiency. The images show your blood flow as well as the structure of your leg veins. We can also check the speed and direction of your blood flow.
Vascular ultrasounds are quick and painless, and the results of your scan can help shape your ideal treatment plan.
Vein insufficiency isn’t caused by just one thing. There are many risk factors that can contribute to valve damage and vein insufficiency. They include:
Having some — or all — of these risk factors doesn’t mean you’ll definitely experience vein insufficiency, but you should keep an eye out for any symptoms of vein problems. You can also adopt vein-healthy habits regardless of whether you have any risk factors. Regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and stopping smoking can go a long way in supporting your vascular health.
It can be concerning to learn that the valves in your veins aren’t functioning quite right, but rest assured, our providers here at the Vein Care Institute are experts when it comes to treating vein insufficiency.
In addition to recommending the appropriate conservative treatments such as wearing compression stockings, we also perform minimally invasive procedures — such as venous ablation and nonsurgical vein treatments such as VenaSeal® glue to seal off insufficient veins.
To learn more about vein insufficiency or to seek an appropriate treatment option, call the location of your choice to request an appointment. You can also schedule an appointment online.
