Submitted by Drs. Bohn, Nielsen, Castillo, and Benson, The VEIN Specialists
Have you stopped enjoying dancing or other physical activities because of leg pain? Do you have aching, painful or restless legs, heaviness, swollen ankles, or muscle cramping? If so, you might have varicose veins. More than half of all women and about 45 percent of men will suffer from varicose vein disease in their lifetime. A family history and aging increase one’s tendency to develop varicose veins. Other factors include a sedentary lifestyle, weight gain, prolonged standing, and pregnancy.
Vein disorders are not always visible to the naked eye so the first step is to have an examination and diagnostic ultrasound to determine the cause and severity of your vein problems. The treatments to eliminate varicose veins and all vein abnormalities have improved dramatically in recent years. No longer do most patients need to endure painful surgical vein stripping. State-of-the-art corrective treatments include endovenous laser ablation (EVLA), ultrasound guided sclerotherapy, and sclerotherapy. With each of these procedures, there is minimal downtime and no sedation so patients are able to return to their daily activities immediately.
EVLA eliminates the abnormal saphenous vein, which is the source of most varicose vein issues. Using ultrasound technology, a thin laser fiber is guided into the vein through a very small opening to deliver energy to the diseased vein wall, causing the vein to close and eliminating backward blood flow.
Ultrasound guided sclerotherapy allows us to treat large veins that can’t be seen because they are below the surface of the skin. The ultrasound image is used to guide a needle into the abnormal vein and deliver medication to destroy the lining to the vein and seal it shut.
Sclerotherapy is a treatment for spider veins in which a tiny needle is used to inject veins with a medication that irritates the inner lining of the vein and causes it to close.
If you’d like to keep dancing but your legs hurt or ache, call to get your legs evaluated by The VEIN Specialists, LLC at 309-862-4000 or visit their website at www.ILVEINS.com.
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