Blood Pooling in Legs – Common Causes of Venous Reflux
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 pool in your legs. Blood that pools in your legs can cause swelling, discomfort, and in severe cases, ulcers.
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Understanding Blood Pooling: Risks & Symptoms
Chronic venous insufficiency 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. Risk factors of CVI include pregnancy, being overweight, having had a recent surgery or injury, or having a family history.
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.
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
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)
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.
Preventing 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.
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.
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.
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.
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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