Show Your Veins Some Love!
The secret to a longer, better quality, happier life with your legs starts by paying attention to the hard-working leg veins pumping and defying gravity 24/7/365 for you. And as it’s Valentine’s Day today and love is in the air — we give to you these 5 easy tips on how to show your veins some love!
- Make a date for a comprehensive ultrasound.
Ultrasound is the secret weapon in the fight against vein disease – helping our vein specialists see what’s going on with blood flow in your legs. Ultrasound gauges the severity of vein disease – if it is present.
As part of our treatment protocol, our vein specialists always perform a leg vein ultrasound. During the ultrasound, a simple squeeze of the calf shows red for backward flow and blue for blood traveling upwards towards the heart – the way it’s meant to flow.
It’s important to have ultrasound done correctly and by someone highly trained in detecting vein disease. A staggering 94% of vein disease is missed by regular ultrasounds. This stat primarily represents ultrasounds performed in hospitals and by doctors, heath techs and surgeons looking for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the deep leg veins. Vein disease affects the superficial leg veins, which are closer to the skin’s surface.
What’s ironic about this 94% stat, though, is that the venous reflux that results from weakened and engorged vein walls and dysfunctioning vein valves, should be obvious during an ultrasound, whether looking for DVT or any other vein problem.
- Listen to your veins.
Our veins “talk” to us in more ways than one. Some veins make it obvious they’re in pain – they are swollen and painful. Some take it further by becoming ulcerated (leg ulcers) and extremely itchy, scaly and dry (venous dermatitis). There are the veins that jump and can’t sit still (restless legs). And then there are the veins that don’t talk at all. They may just feel tired occasionally or cramp every now and then but for the most part you don’t even know (silent symptoms of vein disease).
- Pay attention to them.
Especially as we age – the misconception is that bulging and unsightly veins are just part of getting older. Au contraire! Bulging and unsightly spider veins don’t have to grow old with you too.
And if you suffer from edema, lymphedema or have been battling leg wounds with no real relief, underlying vein disease may be the cause. Many of our patients who have struggled with these debilitating conditions for years didn’t know that undetected vein disease was the cause or at least contributing to their symptoms.
A simple ultrasound can detect if vein disease is present and the situation nipped in the bud with a highly effective, immediate relief vein treatment can prove to your legs that you care!
- Give them a hug.
Do your legs ever feel tired and heavy after a long day standing, sitting for an extended period, or just running around? Sounds like they could use the hug of some daily wearing of compression socks or hose.
Compression socks or hose are the closest form of relief short of procedural intervention for the treatment and management of varicose veins and other vein-related issues. Wearing medical-grade compression hose or socks may make your legs feel better while using them, but these measures will not stop your veins from getting worse. For true relief, make an appointment for an ultrasound to see if you have vein disease and if you do – today’s minimally invasive vein treatments will close the vein, and fresh, oxygenated blood will be redirected through healthier, deeper veins.
- Treat them to a vein treatment.
The ultimate act of love for your veins is to get them treated. Today’s highly effective, image-guided vein treatments go straight to the source of your vein problem and provide immediate relief from your vein symptoms – no matter how advanced.
At Hamilton Vein Center all of our vein specialists are board-certified interventional radiologists who are expertly trained and skilled in the most advanced, leading edge technologies used to treat any vein disorder. Because they are interventional radiologists, each of our doctors is skilled in diagnostic and image-guided ultrasound – the secret weapon used to detect and defeat vein disease.
It’s easy to show your veins some love! Start by making a call to book your ultrasound and vein consultation – Houston 281-565-0033 | Austin 512-551-1403 | San Antonio 210-504-4304
