Aches and pains are a part of life. However, they shouldn’t be chronic, or keep you from living your life. Do you experience pain in your legs often? Especially, after sitting or standing for a long time? There could be a reason for that, such as venous congestion, which is a buildup of fluid in the veins of the legs.
Venous congestion develops when the valves in the veins of your legs are no longer functioning properly, which means they are not moving blood back up to the heart in an effective manner. Since the blood isn’t heading back to the heart efficiently, it ends up pooling in the legs, ankles, and feet. Blood pooling can lead to pain and swelling.
When a person stands or sits for a prolonged period, this can prevent the body from effectively moving the blood out of the legs, because the muscles are stagnant. As the blood pools, people often experience severe cramping or a burning sensation in the calves. Also, the pain tends to be worse when the person spends a significant amount of time sitting or standing.
Over time, this blood pooling can cause enough pressure in the veins for varicose veins to develop. The varicose veins can worsen the venous congestion and even more pain will occur in the legs.
Venous congestion is often found in patients who are obese and in those who live a sedentary lifestyle.
If you’re experiencing unknown, extreme and excessive pain in your legs, it’s time to make a visit to the doctor to diagnose the cause of the pain. A vein specialist will diagnose your current symptoms and determine the best treatment (compression therapy, surgery) to treat your potential venous issue.
With venous congestion and other venous issues, elevating the legs above the heart, and physical activity can also help alleviate symptoms and increase blood flow.
Do you suffer from pain in your legs? Don’t wait! Get your legs checked! Dr. Peter Mikhail is a vein specialist based in New Port Richey, FL. He also treats patients in the Tampa and Clearwater areas. If you’d like to book a consult or learn more, click here or call 727-312-4844.
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