In The Vein You Don't See - Part 2, we began to discuss the importance of the vein you don’t see. Many patients have leg symptoms and the causes of these symptoms are quite varied. Included in the possible causes of these symptoms is vein disease.
Understanding Venous Hypertension
The simple fact is that essentially all venous-based problems are caused by too much pressure in the veins—venous hypertension. Many things combine to cause this hypertension [next time we will take about this hypertension and how to avoid it in the 1st place]. This venous high pressure starts to wear down the delicate one-way valves that are present in all veins in the extremities. These valves help veins return blood to the heart and they are critical to normal circulation.
When one of these valves malfunctions blood falls back toward the ground under the influence of gravity. This back-fall of blood is stopped by the next functioning valve. But, as you can imagine, there is now an increased pressure on this valve. Eventually it too breaks down, transferring an even greater pressure on the functioning valve below it. And so it goes, a vicious circle in the wrong direction. Finally, there is enough pressure to create problems such as pain, cramping, leg fatigue, restless legs, swelling, phlebitis, blood clots, and ulceration, to name just a few.
It is not the surface veins you see that are the underlying cause of this venous high pressure. The problem lies with deeper veins—the veins you don’t see—that have incompetent valves and are large enough to cause the problems. The veins you do see are the result of this high pressure, not the underlying cause.
Properly Diagnosing Venous Disease Through a Vein Specialist
The 1st step in the diagnosis of venous disease is to suspect that this disease could be the underlying problem. A venous problem may not be the cause of your leg symptoms, but if you never consider it, the diagnosis of underlying venous disease will never be made. Once the possibility that an underlying venous condition could be the cause of the problem, the rest is simple: See a Vein Specialist!
A trained Vein Specialist can find “The Vein You Don’t See”. This is done with a proper venous ultrasound. This procedure takes about an hour, is very detailed, and is done in an upright position so that vein valve function can be evaluated under the influence of gravity. This only makes sense since humans are upright most of the time during the day. Once the problem is identified, the Vein Specialist can recommend treatment.
If you suspect you are having an underlying vein issue, schedule your free consultation with Five Star Vein Institute. Dr. Robert Ruess will properly diagnose your problem and recommend the right treatment specifically for you.