Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a vein condition in which the valves in your veins don’t work properly, and as a result not all the blood gets pumped back to your heart. Some of it’s left behind, pooling in your veins. The blood left behind increases the risk for varicose veins and even blood clots.
CVI can appear for a variety of reasons, including aging, genetics, and pregnancy, but also due to increased pressure on the legs. In the early stages, CVI often doesn’t have symptoms, but as it progresses you may experience tingling in your legs, a feeling of heaviness in the lower legs, swelling, cramps, and skin changes.
Want to learn how to better manage your symptoms and stop the progression of the disease?
Read on as our experts at the Goldman Vein Institute, Alexander Goldman, MD, RVT, RPVI, and Saluja Varghese-Goldman, MD, RVT, RPVI, share what lifestyle changes can be helpful alongside treatment options.
Damage to the vein walls and valves can happen in a number of ways, including increased pressure on the veins, excess glucose in the blood, inflammation in the body, and poor tissue oxygenation.
As a result, lifestyle changes that can help include:
Small changes can lead to big results. A daily walk can improve blood flow and tissue oxygenation, while elevating the legs can make it easier for blood to return toward the heart.
Depending on the severity of the condition, our experts may recommend compression stockings for milder cases or medications to help with inflammation inside the veins and localized symptoms.
If veins are severely damaged, minimally invasive procedures such as sclerotherapy can collapse the damaged vein and reroute the blood toward healthier veins.
Left untreated, chronic venous insufficiency is more than a nuisance; it can lead to leg pain, swelling, skin changes, venous ulcers, and in some cases, increase the risk of developing blood clots.
If you’re experiencing heaviness in your legs, tingling, leg pain, or noticing varicose veins, we’re here to help. Our experts will examine your legs and, if necessary, use imaging techniques to track the flow of your blood to see whether venous insufficiency is causing your symptoms or if another condition might be responsible.
Call or use online booking to schedule an appointment at our offices in Jupiter or Wellington, Florida, today.
