Experiencing swollen legs or a heavy, achy feeling in the legs? This may be due to varicose veins. Often, swollen legs are caused by blood pooling in the veins of the leg. But why does this happen? And what can you do to fix it? Here’s what you need to know about your treatment options.

What Causes Varicose Veins?

The valves in your veins work to push blood back up to your heart. When these valves fail to work properly, blood flows back down to the legs and pools there. This causes varicose veins to form but it also causes other symptoms.

Symptoms of Swollen Legs

While some patients never experience discomfort from their varicose veins, others may have extremely painful symptoms. These include leg fatigues, heaviness and swelling. The swelling may be slight, or may result in severe edema from knee to ankle. When symptoms become extreme, treatment becomes necessary. Otherwise, patients will deal with chronic pain and discomfort.

Lifestyle Changes

The first line of defense for swollen legs treatment is to initiate lifestyle changes. These include:

• Weight loss
• Exercise
• Elevating the legs
• Wearing loose clothing
• Avoid standing or sitting for long periods

If these changes do not help, your provider will recommend compression stockings to help improve blood flow and reduce swelling.

Medical Treatments for Swollen Legs

When swelling affects your quality of life, you should seek medical help. There are minimally invasive treatments that can be done right in the doctor’s office. Two popular treatments are sclerotherapy and endovenous ablation.

Sclerotherapy involves injecting a chemical solution into the problematic veins. This causes the vein to harden and collapse. Then, it is reabsorbed by the body.

Alternatively, endovenous ablation uses ultrasound to guide the placement of a catheter into the vein. Then the catheter heats up and causes the vein to seal shut.

Treatment for Swollen Legs in Maryland

If you are suffering from swollen legs, it could be a venous issue. To learn more about your treatment options, please contact the Vein Center of Maryland today.