Chronic venous insufficiency is a disease in which the veins do not work properly to help the heart keep blood circulating. The leg veins have small valves inside that close to keep the blood from flowing back to the feet. When these valves and vein walls become weak, they fail to work and the blood starts to pool in the veins. This is called chronic venous insufficiency and may result in swelling, pain, unbearable itching and sores. While varicose veins do not pose a serious health problem, if they are left untreated, they can cause problems later such as ulcers that are difficult to heal and blood clots. Our vein specialist in Ottawa can create a personalized vein treatment regimen to help you get rid of your varicose veins and/or spider veins and all of their symptoms.
In Ottawa, our experienced vein specialist may examine your veins with a venogram or duplex ultrasound to determine the extent of the insufficiency and to see which veins are involved. There are a variety of treatments available that could work for you.
These treatments typically involve damaging the vein from the inside to cause it to collapse so it can be absorbed by the surrounding tissue. Sclerotherapy is a method that uses a special solution to damage the vein. Gradually, the vein disappears. Another popular method is endovenous laser therapy.
There are several causes for venous insufficiency, and family history is the most common cause. Other causes may be injury, surgery and previous blood clots. However, lifestyle habits can also reduce circulation and create varicose veins. Some habits that may cause venous insufficiency are:
• Long periods when you are standing or sitting. When you stand for a long time, the heart needs to work harder to push the blood up your legs. This may put extra strain on the veins in your legs, causing them to weaken gradually. Prolonged sitting cuts off circulation to the legs and makes it difficult for the blood to be pushed back to the heart. The remedy for sitting is to get up and walk around for a few minutes every hour. The remedy for standing is to sit with your feet raised for a few minutes throughout the day.
• Lack of exercise may cause the muscles that help the veins push the blood against gravity to become weak.
• Smoking damages tissue, causing it to become weak anywhere in the body including the veins in the legs.
• A blood clot in a deep vein in the thigh or calf called deep vein thrombosis.
• Swelling and inflammation of a superficial vein in the leg called phlebitis.
Venous insufficiency may not appear under the skin at first. If you have any of the above symptoms, you could be developing varicose veins, and the earlier you have them treated by our vein specialist in Ottawa, the easier it will be to remove them. Set up your appointment at Canada Vein Clinics as soon as possible. We also have locations in Richmond Hill, Orleans, Moncton, Vaughan, Kawartha Lakes, Kanata, Dartmouth, Halifax and Toronto. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
