What is this?

All people need to be aware of this concept. When people do consider that problems with the veins in their lower extremities (venous disease) might be causing their leg signs and symptoms, this concept comes into play. When people do not consider venous disease as a cause of their leg problems, this concept comes into play as well.

The vein you don’t see reminds me of an iceberg on a foggy night. The first thing to note is that you may not see it coming. The second thing to note is that even if you do see it and consider it, 90% of it is invisible underwater---it is much bigger than it looks.

Some people who have leg symptoms and have little or no physical evidence of venous disease. These symptoms can be caused by veins that may be too deep to be seen by the naked eye-but they are there nonetheless. Even the most astute clinician may miss the diagnosis if he doesn’t consider it. If the sailor misses spotting the iceberg in the fog, does that mean it isn’t there?

There May Be More Than Meets the Eye to Effective Vein Treatment

Others see their physician and get injections and sometimes surgery on large visible varicosities. That is treating the tip of the iceberg; there is more to the problem that meets the eye.

Some patient’s venous disease has gotten so bad that there is tissue breakdown and ulceration of the skin. I am aware of several patients that have suffered with this situation for over 30 years. They have been seen by a multitude of doctors and have had a variety of treatments, to no avail. How was their condition finally cured? Treatment of the vein you don’t see.

Although the details of venous disease can be complex and quite technical, this article is written to make thinking about the overall problem very simple.

Next time we will discuss the cause of almost all venous problems.