Leg Swelling: Causes and Treatments
What does leg swelling mean for your health? Different factors may contribute to your leg swelling, including injuries or health problems. Leg swelling may occur alone or alongside other symptoms. It would help if you had a thorough health evaluation to determine the cause and find proper treatments. The Port Saint Lucie leg swelling specialist Antony Lewis and the TLC Medical Group Inc team offer a comprehensive diagnosis for leg swelling and treatments to restore your health. This article provides you with reasons behind leg swelling and its treatments.
What causes leg swelling?
You may develop leg swelling from various issues such as edema. Edema occurs when there is fluid buildup in the lower part of your legs. It may also result from chronic venous insufficiency.
Chronic venous insufficiency occurs due to valve malfunction in your legs, causing blood accumulation in your blood vessels.
The valves support blood flow to the heart from the legs. Your leg muscles move to pump blood through the valves. The valves close to prevent blood from flowing back and open when the leg muscles move.
Chronic venous insufficiency develops when the valves become damaged, interfering with their function and causing blood to flow backward. The blood then pools in your veins leading to the formation of varicose veins.
What symptoms occur with leg swelling?
Leg swelling due to venous insufficiency leads to inflammation, among other symptoms in your legs, such as:
- Leg pain
- Heaviness
- Night cramps
- Itching
- Tingling
- Restless legs
- Skin discoloration
- Burning sensation
- Fatigue
- Throbbing
- Soreness
- Cramping
- Swollen legs
Without proper treatment, chronic venous insufficiency may cause swollen tissues to decompose, produce fluid, and develop leg ulcers. Leg ulcers are slow to heal and may lead to amputation in severe cases.
Your provider and the TLC Medical Group Inc team offer extensive diagnostic ultrasound to evaluate your vein health and the cause of your leg swelling.
What are your treatment options for leg swelling?
Your provider begins your treatment by recommending conservative options such as compression stocking to improve your leg swelling. Regular exercise, weight loss, and avoiding standing or sitting for extended periods may help improve your leg circulation and health.
Other treatments include minimally invasive techniques that help relieve leg swelling, among other symptoms. They include the following.
Radiofrequency ablation
The team at TLC Medical Group Inc offers VENCLOSE and ClosureFast to destroy the damaged veins using radiofrequency energy. The heated veins crumble, blocking blood flow through them. They then disappear, causing blood to flow to the following healthy veins.
Sclerotherapy
It achieves the same results as radiofrequency ablation, only that it uses an injection or foam irritant to damage the affected veins.
Phlebectomy
This treatment involves extracting the faulty veins through minor cuts. The procedure involves different methods, including stab phlebectomy, microphlebectomy, and exit phlebectomy.
Leg swelling may not be a big problem, especially when it does not cause symptoms. Most of the time, people may ignore the problem. However, it’s critical to undergo a proper evaluation to determine the cause of your problem and find effective treatments.
If you have leg swelling, do not hesitate to call TLC Medical Group Inc to schedule your consultation.
