Expert ADVICE
DR. JOSEPH M. SMITH Center for Venous Disease 490-B West Zia Rd., Suite #1 505.995.8346 VeinScreening.com
V
enous insufficiency affects 80 to 85 million people in the United States, almost a third of the population. It tends to affect women more than men, mainly because of childbearing. It also tends to be hereditary. Older folks get it more commonly than younger folks, although it can affect young people as well. And people with a standing or sitting occupation tend to be highly affected. Basically, it’s inescapable: you or someone you know has venous insufficiency. What exactly is venous insufficiency? Veins have delicate trapdoor valves in them, and the job of the valves is to close and hold blood from moving back down the vein. When those valves blow out or give way, blood flow is affected by gravity, causing the blood to pool in the lower extremities.
Venous Insufficiency
The most common symptoms of this condition are aching, throbbing, heaviness, fatigue and sometimes swelling or itching in the lower extremities. Usually it’s not so bad in the morning, but symptoms tend to get worse as the day goes on. Varicose veins, spider veins, skin discoloration and sometimes skin thickening are also indicators. How do you avert venous insufficiency? Walking is among your best bets, though generally staying active helps. When you walk, the calf muscle pump contracts, returning blood back to the heart. Thus, any activity that causes the calf muscle to contract is good in terms of vein health. Another thing folks can do, especially if their occupation demands long periods of sitting or standing, is to wear graduated compression support stockings. However, if you already have venous insufficiency, there are procedures that can alleviate it. In the past, vein stripping surgeries were the protocol, but with today’s technology, the treatment is usually done in-office with local anesthesia. The devices used today are catheters inserted into the
weakened vein. The catheter is advanced up the vein to the necessary position, as seen via ultrasound, and then heat energy is applied to the vein wall to scar the vein and eliminate flow. The result is significant improvement in symptoms. The recovery for this procedure is usually only a day. Some people have even gone back to work or out to play golf the same day as treatment. The treatment tends to be highly effective, though venous insufficiency is often recurring, so it’s important to continue to look for and monitor any symptoms. Dr. Joseph M. Smith at the Center for Venous Disease has the experience and expertise to aid and abet venous insufficiency. A general surgeon by trade, he’s been practicing vein surgery his entire career, beginning in 1982. He opened his state-of-the-art practice in 2006 to devote himself completely to vein care. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a diplomat of the American Board of Venous & Lymphatic Medicine.