Your veins are supposed to pump blood back to your heart. But when you have chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), blood struggles against gravity and may cause blood pooling in your feet and legs. This can in turn cause swelling, discomfort, and in severe cases, ulcers.
Blood pooling in the legs and feet can cause swelling, aching, heaviness, skin changes, and other uncomfortable symptoms. It often occurs when the veins have difficulty returning blood to the heart, which can happen with chronic venous insufficiency and venous reflux.
Blood pooling in legs is often referred to as Chronic venous insufficiency. This is a medical term used to describe blood flow issues in your legs. CVI happens when your leg veins aren’t properly pumping blood back to your heart, resulting in many painful symptoms.
You might have a blood pooling issue if you have the following symptoms.
Blood pooling doesn’t have to be permanent. At Gilvydis Vein Clinic, we provide modern laser vein treatments to make your unhealthy veins as good as new. Our non-invasive outpatient treatments include endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) and sclerotherapy.
Some factors can increase the likelihood of blood pooling in your feet or legs. Risk factors of CVI include
Over 25 million Americans live with varicose veins—a condition that can lead to blood pooling. Blood pooling can cause several complications, including the following painful and potentially life-threatening conditions:
A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that clogs an artery in your lungs. This dangerous issue can cause shortness of breath, lightheadedness, excessive sweating, and has the potential to be fatal. If you have varicose veins, it’s important that you get your veins checked. Book a consultation with the Gilvydis team.
Gilvydis Vein Clinic offers non-surgical outpatient treatments to treat your unhealthy veins. Make blood pooling a thing of the past with non-invasive procedures like sclerotherapy and endovenous laser ablation. Both treatments close off unhealthy veins and redirect your blood back to veins that are working properly.
Medically Reviewed By:
Dr. Rimas Gilvydis, M.D, is the co-founder of Northern Illinois Vein Clinic (NIVC) in Rockford, Illinois, and the founder of Gilvydis Vein Clinic (GVC) in Naperville, Sycamore, and Geneva, Illinois. A board-certified interventionalist and diplomate of the American Board of Venous & Lymphatic Medicine, Dr. Gilvydis has been treating varicose veins with minimally invasive techniques since they were first introduced.
Blood pooling in the legs or feet is not always dangerous, but it can be a sign of an underlying vein problem such as chronic venous insufficiency or venous reflux. Common symptoms include swelling, aching, heaviness, itching, skin discoloration, or tired-feeling legs. Persistent or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a healthcare professional, particularly if swelling develops suddenly or is accompanied by significant pain, redness, warmth, or shortness of breath.
Blood can pool in the legs and feet when the veins have difficulty returning blood back toward the heart. This can occur when the valves inside the leg veins do not work properly, allowing blood to flow backward and accumulate in the lower extremities. This is commonly associated with venous reflux and chronic venous insufficiency. Prolonged standing or sitting, aging, pregnancy, obesity, and a history of blood clots can also contribute to problems with circulation in the legs.
Blood pooling is particularly noticeable in the feet and ankles because gravity causes blood to collect in the lower parts of the body. When the leg veins and their valves are not effectively moving blood back toward the heart, pressure can build in the lower legs and contribute to swelling around the ankles and feet. Symptoms may become more noticeable after standing or sitting for long periods and may improve when the legs are elevated.
For over 20 years, Dr. Gilvydis has been helping patients just like you. Blood pooling doesn’t have to dictate your life—so choose the vein doctors Illinois trusts. The team at Gilvydis Vein Clinic has performed over 24,000 successful laser vein treatments.
Become the next success story and schedule your consultation today.
We’re proud to be one of three vein centers in Illinois with an IAC accreditation. Get back on your feet with a team of vein specialists who help you understand your vein treatment options.
We’re proud to be one of three vein centers in Illinois with an IAC accreditation. Get back on your feet with a team of vein specialists who help you understand your vein treatment options.
