3 Treatments For Chronic Venous Insufficiency
Posted on: 29 June 2021
Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when the valves in the leg veins stop working effectively, which can lead to blood pooling in the legs instead quickly returning to the heart, as it should. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), then you likely know that this vascular condition does not yet have a cure.
However, there are many CVS treatments that can help improve circulation in the legs to prevent blood pooling, reduce lower leg and foot swelling, and even help faulty vein valves perform their jobs more effectively.
Read on to learn about three treatments for chronic venous insufficiency and how they work.
1. Compression Stockings
One simple, yet effective, treatment for CVI is the use of compression stockings. These stockings are available over the counter at drugstores, although they are also available with a doctor's prescription. These stockings exert more pressure on the legs than traditional socks and stockings do.
This additional pressure helps squeeze extra blood out of the lower legs to help faulty valves send it back to the heart after it enters the veins in your lower legs to help prevent blood clots in the legs and swelling.
2. Horse Chestnut Extract
Some people find that taking an herbal supplement called horse chestnut extract, or Aesculus hippocastanum. This herb contains a substance called aescin, which is believed to provide many medicinal benefits of the herb.
Medical studies have shown that taking about 600 mg of horse chestnut extract daily for up to eight weeks can help relieve many of the symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency, including leg swelling, pain, and itch. However, be sure to speak to your doctor before taking this herbal supplement to ensure it does not interact with any medications you currently take or have any side effects that may worsen other health conditions you have.
3. Vein Ablation
While there are several medical procedures that can help alleviate the symptoms of CVI, a common one is called radiofrequency vein ablation. Before performing vein ablation, your vascular surgeon will locate the veins in your legs that are malfunctioning the most using a medical test called duplex ultrasound or, alternatively, magnetic resonance veinography (MRV).
Then, your surgeon will insert a catheter into one or more of the faulty veins they located during testing and sends microwave radiation into the veins to seal them. Little recovery time is needed after this procedure, and most people who obtain it are able to return to work within several days.
After these faulty veins are sealed off, blood stops flowing through them and instead flows only into the veins that are not yet severely affected by the disease.
If you suffer from chronic venous insufficiency, then realize that there are several treatments for this vascular disease that can help reduce the symptoms of the disease and help you live a more comfortable life. Talk to a doctor to learn more about mobile vascular services.
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