Jason, a recently retired administrator, came to Truffles Vein Specialists before proceeding with a left total knee replacement.  He had experienced chronic knee pain and mild swelling for nearly a decade, however it had progressively worsened since his retirement.

“It’s true, when you retire, you find yourself suddenly more busy.  With  my new and busy schedule, my left knee became very swollen,” he said.  “I developed a bulging lump on the inside and behind my right knee and I had difficulty even playing golf. I found myself not wanting to travel as I could only sit or drive for short periods of time”.

He made an appointment with her Orthopedic Surgeon to evaluate his problem which he assumed was the result of his glory days back in high school.  He also saw his Primary Care Physician who was concerned his problem could be related to venous disease.  He was then referred to Truffles Vein Specialists for venous disease assessment and was surprised by what Dr. Feldman discussed and the results of the diagnostic ultrasound. 

“They did an ultrasound of both my legs and found the valves of my superficial vein was allowing the blood to flow backwards,” Jason reported.  ” Brian explained what a normal vein looked like and showed me my leaking vein starting at my groin and went all the way down to just above my ankle. There were large varicosities that were under the skin hidden from sight. I had never really noticed the patterns around my left ankle. I had significant vein disease in both legs."

Knee arthritis and venous insufficiency often are seen in the same patient because both conditions affect the same population, patients over 40.   Therefore, patients expected to have knee surgery, such as a knee replacement or arthroscopy and who have any signs of venous disease such as swelling or varicose veins should actively seek a venous evaluation prior to major orthopedic surgery.

Research has shown that patients who have their venous problems addressed prior to knee replacement or arthroscopy have a better outcome.  Patients can decrease their postoperative risk of leg swelling and deep vein thrombosis when venous disease is addressed first.  With pre-existing swelling, bulging veins or the skin changes of venous disease, vein treatment obviously improves the post-op wound healing process for these orthopedic surgical patients.

Forty million adults are affected by venous insufficiency, including one out of three people over the age of fifty.  Treatment by closing defective veins is minimally invasive, taking approximately one hour with rapid recovery times.  This vein treatment enhances a patient’s chance of a good post-operative knee replacement or knee procedural outcome.

If you have knee discomfort and are considering or are scheduling an orthopedic evaluation, be sure to consider your vein health.  If you have varicose veins, swelling, leg heaviness or skin discoloration – or have other signs or symptoms of venous insufficiency, request a vein specialist to evaluate your venous status.  Remember that you may enhance your orthopedic procedure outcome by first caring for your venous health. In some cases the pain and discomfort in the leg.  

You’ve heard it before…maybe even from your doctor ”varicose veins a cosmetic issue, you do not need treatment, it can make it worse”. Please read this next sentence very carefully and slowly. Varicose vein disease is a medical condition, any advice to the contrary is inaccurate and is not supported by evidence based medicine. 

To completely understand why the treatment of venous disease is so important, it is essential to know what causes them. Varicose veins are are enlarged, bulging, distended veins in the legs that may or may not be seen by the naked eye. Varicose veins develop when pressure in the venous system increased due to venous blood pooling in the veins. This happens over time due to gravity or valve dysfunction. This stagnant blood is depleted of oxygen and is carrying waste products. This is why varicose vein disease and restless leg syndrome are related. Chemically these waste products cause all kind of problems to the circulatory system. 

Your arterial and venous systems work in conjunction and the body regulates blood flow through an intricate physiologic function called auto regulation. To demonstrate this simply squeeze your finger tip, it will turn white and quickly return to its normal color. Arterial blood flow normally is a high pressure system and venous is normally a low pressure system. Arterial blockage changes the pressure on the arterial side and varicose vein disease increases pressure on the venous side. Both of these can be devastating to the circulatory system. Increased venous pressure from the pooling of blood causes red blood cells and fluid to leak into the tissues of the leg causing painful swelling and staining of the skin. The red blood cells in the tissue contribute to the chronic inflammation and hyper pigmentation or skin discoloration. This skin discoloration is usually around the inner mid to lower calf and on the inside of the ankle. This is not due to tanning, working outside and it is a sign of chronic venous insufficiency. There is no magic answer as to what causes varicose veins, but there are a few factors that increase your chance in developing them:

Obesity

Age

Pregnancy

Gender

Lifestyle:Prolonged standing or sitting

Leg injury or trauma

Medical insurance pays for vein treatment.  Read that again! Insurance covers vein treatment!  Why would your insurance company pay for your to receive vein treatment if it was cosmetic?  Insurance companies pay for medical varicose vein treatment because is saves them money, yes they are in business to make money. See the advanced stages of vein disease includes wound treatment, skin grafts, hospitalizations, infection, etc. Now this doesn't happen to everyone with varicose veins, however the cost of prevention is less than that of treating chronic vein disease. Those who do not seek treatment for varicose veins will most likely continue to experience symptoms of pain, fatigue and swelling of the legs and/or ankles. If left untreated, venous disease can cause other health problems including blood clots, venous eczema, skin breakdown, and ulcers.  

It is estimated that 1 in 3 Americans have either spider or varicose veins.  Each year 4 to 5 million visit a physician because of leg vein-related problems. While the unsightly appearance of diseased veins may be the first symptom of complaint, if left untreated more severe symptoms can set in impacting daily quality of life. Symptoms of varicose veins can include:

Pain

Itching

Swelling of the leg or ankle

Cramping

Restless Leg Syndrome

Ulcers

Skin Pigmentation

In summary, if you have symptoms of varicose veins take action. If you are unsure of the severity of your condition, take a free vein screening from the privacy of your home or schedule a consult with Dr. Paul Feldman sooner than later to determine if treatment is necessary.

Truffles Vein Specialists has a team of vein experts ready and willing to help you look and feel better. There are a variety of options for treatment all of which are done in office in relatively an hour with little to no down time. Call (678.833.1444) to schedule an appointment today to discuss your symptoms and discover if treatment is necessary.