Tired, Aching Legs? It Could Be Venous Insufficiency

At Goldman Vein Institute, with locations in Jupiter and Wellington, Florida, our board-certified vascular specialists, Alexander Goldman, MD, RVT, RPVI, and Saluja Varghese, MD, RVT, RPVI, often see patients who assume their leg discomfort is just fatigue or a sign of aging. 

In many cases, it’s actually a sign of a treatable condition called venous insufficiency. Here, we discuss what that means, how to recognize it, and what you can do to find relief. 

What is venous insufficiency?

Venous insufficiency occurs when the valves inside your leg veins don’t function properly. Healthy vein valves are one-way: They push blood upward, toward your heart, where it’s recirculated. 

But, as many people age, their venous valves grow less elastic and weaker. This can lead to imprecise vein sealing, allowing blood to trickle downward, back into the veins. Blood can then collect, causing the veins to swell steadily. 

This increased pressure can cause discomfort, even before any visible signs of vein disease appear. 

How to tell if you have venous insufficiency

Many people notice early signs of venous insufficiency in their legs, such as:

• Heaviness
• Aching or throbbing, often worsening late in the day 
• Swelling
• Tiredness

Without treatment, the symptoms often worsen. Many people with venous insufficiency develop varicose veins. 

The most reliable way to confirm what’s causing your symptoms is through a diagnostic vascular ultrasound at Goldman Vein Institute. This noninvasive imaging allows us to evaluate blood flow and determine whether vein valve dysfunction is present.

Treatment options for venous insufficiency

Treating venous insufficiency is about improving circulation and relieving the pressure that causes symptoms like heaviness, aching, and swelling.

At Goldman Vein Institute, we tailor your treatment to your symptoms and diagnostic findings, offering options ranging from conservative care to minimally invasive procedures.

Compression stockings

Compression stockings apply gentle pressure to the legs, helping blood flow more efficiently and reducing symptoms such as swelling and heaviness. Although they can help ease discomfort when used consistently, compression hose don’t treat the underlying vein disease. 

Many people try compression therapy as a first step in a treatment plan, then move on to other, advanced solutions if it’s not enough on its own. After treatments such as endovenous thermal ablation, your doctor will fit you with customized compression stockings that support rapid healing.

Endovenous thermal ablation 

Endovenous thermal ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat to close off malfunctioning veins, redirecting blood flow to healthier veins and relieving pressure-related symptoms. During the procedure, we insert a thin catheter into a diseased leg vein. 

They thread a laser fiber through the catheter, directly into the vein. Then, we administer carefully measured laser energy to the vein walls. This causes the vein to shrink and close. Endovenous thermal ablation can provide rapid relief and has a 98% success rate.

Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy involves injecting a liquid or foam solution (sclerosant) into affected veins. The two main types are visual sclerotherapy, which is often used for smaller veins (spider,  reticular, or small varicose veins), and ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy, in which we use real-time imaging to guide the injections to the right place. 

The sclerosant irritates the delicate walls of the veins, causing them to contract. The vein walls continue to wither over time, pushing the blood into other, healthy veins in the area. The veins gradually fade from view, and leg discomfort fades with them.

Varithena®

Varithena® is a specialized foam treatment for varicose veins. It’s actually a form of foam sclerotherapy using a patented microfoam product. 

With Varithena, we make one or two quick needle sticks (no incisions) to deliver the solution. Once within your veins, it rapidly expands into a foam that pushes the blood out. 

The vein walls then collapse and seal off. Your body absorbs the old vein tissue and flushes it out during normal bodily waste disposal.  Just one treatment can offer significant relief of leg pain while improving the appearance of bulging veins.

Have frustratingly tired, aching, and heavy legs? Our diagnostic and treatment experts are here to guide you back to strong, healthy legs so you can enjoy a full life again. Call Goldman Vein Institute or request an appointment online to consult one of our board-certified vascular specialists.