How to Manage Varicose Vein Pain

If you have varicose veins in your legs, you may experience symptoms including heaviness, aching or pain in your legs. But what causes this condition? Why would you experience varicose vein pain? And what can you do to find relief? Keep reading for all the details you need to know.

What are varicose veins?

Varicose veins are enlarged veins beneath your skin’s surface that become visible above the skin’s surface due to swelling. The veins become enlarged because of internal damage that allows blood to collect in one area instead of flowing out of the veins as it should.

Many different factors can cause the type of damage that leads to varicose veins. But some of the most common risk factors include:

• High blood pressure
• Weight gain
• Pregnancy
• Aging
• Long periods of standing or sitting
• Injuries
• Family history of varicose veins

If these veins develop, you may experience symptoms including heaviness, itching or burning in your legs. Additionally, you may start to experience varicose vein pain. And here’s why these enlarged veins can be so uncomfortable.

What’s the cause of that varicose vein pain?

When blood pools in your leg veins, pressure builds up in the area. And that pressure can be uncomfortable. Some people will describe the associated sensation as heaviness. Others will complain of throbbing or cramping. Still others will just say their legs hurt. But, regardless of the way you describe your symptoms, the cause is the same—pressure due to blood that’s pooling in your veins. So, in order to relieve your discomfort, you’ll have to seek vein treatments at one of our six Texas vein clinics.

Varicose vein treatment options

In order to relieve varicose vein pain, we must first confirm that your discomfort is caused by this condition. After all, many forms of vein disease trigger similar symptoms; so, to determine your best treatment plan, we’ll first need to perform an ultrasound vein evaluation. Then, with the results of this non-invasive test, we can provide you with an accurate diagnosis and, from there, determine your best course of treatment. Depending on your diagnosis, we may recommend one of the following minimally-invasive varicose vein treatments performed by our interventional radiologists:

• Ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy – an outpatient procedure that treats varicose veins with injected medication.

• Radiofrequency ablation – after doctors insert a catheter into your abnormal vein, this procedure uses heat energy to permanently close that vein, allowing blood flow to be redirected to healthier veins.  
  
  Ambulatory phlebectomy (removal of varicose veins) – while technically a surgical procedure, this treatment option is still minimally invasive because we access and remove the vein via several tiny incisions. As a result, you are able to walk immediately after the conclusion of your procedure.  

Relieving varicose vein pain in Houston and Dallas

Suffering from painful symptoms of vein disease? The sooner you come in for an evaluation, the sooner we can begin the treatment—and recovery—process. So don’t spend another day bothered by discomfort in your legs. Instead, click here to request an appointment with our Texas Endovascular vein specialists.