Venous insufficiency is the medical condition that causes varicose veins and the symptoms of leg heaviness, fatigue, pain, and swelling.
Tens of millions of Americans suffer from this condition. Veins in the legs affected by venous insufficiency are not working properly. Normal veins have one-way valves that only let blood flow in the right direction up the leg, and back to the heart. Abnormal veins with venous insufficiency have defective valves which allow blood to go back down the vein. This wrong-way flow causes pressure to build up both inside the vein and leg, and leads to bulging varicose veins and bothersome symptoms. Venous insufficiency is diagnosed with a specialized ultrasound examination called duplex imaging, which can image veins inside the leg that the eye can’t see, and determine how these veins are working.
The most effective treatment for venous insufficiency is to close down the bad vein using laser ablation. This corrects the problem and improves the circulation by allowing blood to go back up the leg normally through your other good veins. Since this diseased vein is working against you, you don’t need it, and your circulation will be better without it.
