There are many different causes for leg swelling. A common cause for leg swelling is venous insufficiency, or leaky veins. Having leaky veins is the same reason some people develop varicose veins.
Muscle contractions in your lower legs act as pumps, and elastic vein walls help blood return to your heart. Tiny valves in your veins open as blood flows toward your heart then close to stop blood from flowing backward.
Normally, the one-way valves in your leg veins keep blood moving up toward the heart. When the valves do not work properly, they allow blood to back up into the vein. This in return causes leg swelling.
Varicose veins are characterized by a “rope like” appearance. They are often confused with smaller “spider veins” that are more superficial and usually are only bothersome because of their undesirable cosmetic appearance. Treatment for spider veins is generally not covered by insurance, but they are easily treated with a simple procedure called “Sclerotherapy”. Sclerotherapy involves injecting a very small amount of harmless solution into the vein. You can see the vein fade away as the solution is injected. Some veins may take more than one treatment.
There are a number of ways to treat varicose veins and venous insufficiency, however the most current technology involves using laser power, radio frequency power or a thick solution to eliminate the varicose vein. As the main source of the vein is eliminated, other smaller veins that are like branches of the larger vein usually go away. Treatments are performed in office with the use of local anesthetic. Your treatment will depend on many factors, including your age, health, position of the veins and more. You and Dr. Parsons together can make a good decision about your treatment.
We place a small catheter, the size of a strand of spaghetti, into the diseased vein which delivers energy and shrinks/closes the vein. This is a typical first line treatment based on your ultrasound results and often used on larger veins. Types of energy include Laser or Radio-frequency.
A foam is injected into the diseased veins. This foam irritates the lining of the vein causing it to close. This is typically used for smaller veins that remain after ablation treatment as well as the treatment of spider veins.
Varithena is a type of sclerotherapy that can also be used to treat larger veins with decreased risk and minimal patient discomfort.
The vein is physically removed through a tiny 2mm incision. This is the most permanent treatment. This is typically used for smaller veins that remain after ablation treatment.
Varicose Vein Treatment, Before/After
Having leaky valves in your veins progressively leads to venous hypertension. If this becomes severe it can lead to:
During your initial meeting with Dr. Parsons, he will perform a physical exam of your legs to:
The first line of treatment is often non-operative and is typically required by your insurance company. There are a number of self-care treatment options Dr. Parsons may suggest in order to fulfill the requirements of your insurance plan, such as:
During your initial consultation, Dr. Parsons will ask many questions and have his staff contact your insurance company for pre-authorization. This will help create your treatment plan and the expectations for a course of action for treatment.
