Blood Pooling in Legs: Chronic Venous Insufficiency

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.

So what is blood pooling in feet due to? The expert vein doctors at Gilvydis Vein Clinic walk you through the common causes and treatment options for blood pooling in legs. 

Table of Contents

Why is Blood Pooling in My Feet?

Blood Pooling in Legs – Common Causes of 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.

  • Swelling
  • Leg cramps
  • Skin changes
  • Ulcers
  • Varicose veins 

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.

Blood Pooling Risk Factors

Some factors can increase the likelihood of blood pooling in your feet or legs. Risk factors of CVI include

  • Pregnancy
  • Being overweight
  • Having had a recent surgery or injury
  • Having a family history.

Is Blood Pooling Dangerous? Complications of Blood Pooling

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:

Skin Changes & Ulcers

spider veins and skin discoloration
As blood pools in your legs, your skin color may start changing to a reddish-brown discoloration. Similarly, your skin can flake, itch, or look and feel leathery. Ulcers may also start to develop, which crop up as painful open sores around your ankles.

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

Deep vein thrombosis is a serious complication of blood pooling. DVT occurs when a blood clot forms deep within your veins. If DVT remains undetected, the clot can throw and lodge itself in your lungs. This issue is called a pulmonary embolism and can be life-threatening.

Pulmonary Embolism (PE)

Pulmonary Embolism Treatments
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 free screening or jump straight to a consultation with the Gilvydis team.

How to Prevent Blood Pooling & Management Tips

The best way to prevent blood pooling is to implement good, healthy lifestyle changes. If you’re already suffering from leg pain issues, combine a healthy lifestyle with compression therapy.

Compression Stockings

Tight socks, like compression stockings, can help reduce swelling and discomfort in your legs. The level of compression you need depends on the condition of your legs—some people may need higher compression than others.

Lifestyle Changes

A healthy, balanced diet paired with regular exercise will do wonders for your veins. Ensure that you are elevating your legs above heart level to reduce pressure. At Gilvydis Vein Clinic, we’ll create a personalized care plan to get you on the path to healthier veins.

Vein Ablation

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. Gilvydis

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.

Schedule a Consultation With Dr. Gilvydis

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.

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Over 24,000 Successful Vein Treatments
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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.

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Get back to yourself.

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.

Book Your Appointment Today