Chronic venous insufficiency is a condition that affects the blood flow in your legs. The veins in the body normally contain valves that act like gates and prevent the backflow of blood to the legs and instead help the blood to move back to the heart. When those valves are not working correctly, the blood flows back into the legs. Many factors can make you develop chronic venous insufficiency. One cause includes being overweight because this puts a lot of pressure on the valves in your legs, and they may stop working.
Pregnancy can also put you at risk of chronic venous insufficiency because the enlarging uterus puts a lot of pressure on the pelvic veins, which transmit the pressure downwards. Injury to the legs, having a family history of venous insufficiency, and prior surgery to the veins are other risk factors of insufficiency of the venous system in the legs. In Tinley Park, vein care is available for venous insufficiency. Getting treatment will allow you to be able to carry on with your life without pain and discomfort.
Given below are some examples of how chronic venous insufficiency can be treated:
There many factors that determine the type of treatment the doctor may give you for your venous insufficiency. These factors include your general health and whether you have any underlying chronic conditions or concerns like diabetes, age, and the severity of your conditions. The doctor also considers how your body responds to various therapies, and if your condition looks like it might worsen. The doctor can then prescribe one of these treatment methods:
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- Lifestyle Changes
Your doctor may take a conservative approach to the management of your venous insufficiency, especially if you only have mild symptoms. The doctor will advise you to be more physically active and to avoid sitting or standing in one place for a prolonged duration. It is also important to elevate your legs so that you promote the return of blood to your heart.
The doctor will also recommend that you manage your weight if you are overweight. Some of the ways of reducing your weight include eating a healthy diet that has less processed foods and a balance of all the necessary nutrients in small portions. You can also aim to become more physically active by taking walks, going to the gym, jogging, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Wearing Compression Stockings
One way to improve the circulation in your legs is through the use of compression socks. These stockings work by periodically squeeze and compress your legs in a way that imitates your calf muscle. Compression stockings are intended to squeeze and compress near your ankles, but remain loose higher up near your knees. This enables blood to be pushed upwards toward your heart while preventing backflow.
- Managing the Underlying Medical Conditions
Some of the medical conditions that can cause venous insufficiency include diabetes and high blood pressure. It is important to take your diabetic medications or insulin injections as advised by your doctor, eat a healthy diet, and go for regular monitoring of your blood sugar. To manage high blood pressure take your medications, be physically active, reduce the salt in your diet, and have a regular measurement of your blood pressure.
- Ablation
Ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that reduces the pooling of blood in your legs by using heat to close the affected veins. The doctor may prescribe this for you if they think that it is the best treatment for you.
In summary, there are different causes of chronic venous insufficiency including obesity, smoking, diabetes, pregnancy, and injury. This condition can be managed by making lifestyle changes like weight reduction, managing the underlying medical conditions, wearing compression stockings, and ablation.