There may come a time in your life when you look down at your legs, and start to wonder why they are always swelling up. Our legs are one of the most important tools we have at our disposal for getting around, and when complications start to arise with them our mobility begins to decrease. When blood flow in our lower body gets altered you may start to notice slight changes in their appearance. For example, a varicose vein might become visible. What are varicose veins you may be asking yourself? There are a complication with the delivery system for our blood flow from our feet back to our lungs and heart.
What Exactly Is Happening Inside?
A vein is a vessel in which your blood flows from the rest of your body back to your heart and lungs to get resupplied with the oxygen we need. Normally, the vessels in your legs flow in one direction, back towards your chest. This process is controlled with small valves to help push the blood against gravity, but if for some reason these valves get damaged, then your flow may slow down and in many case back up around those weakened areas. This can cause a number of problems for your legs, including swelling and the eventual creation of a varicose vein; these look like large blue streaks in your skin that may or may not slightly bulge outward.
Can They Be Treated Or Fixed?
There are two main methods of dealing with this problem. This first is an extensive surgery that requires small incisions to be made at the sight of the problem. The second is a less invasive procedure that uses a small piece of fiber optic filament. This filament is then heated with a laser in order to seal off the damaged area. This secondary technique has started to become more widely used because it can be completed much quicker and is more accurate and efficient.
Having poor circulation can lead to a myriad of complications all over the body. While issues like this start off locally they can slowly become much larger issues with your vascular system and heart. If you have noticed bulging areas in your lower body that you haven’t seen before, or long blue streaks that appear below the skin, then you should contact your local physician as soon as possible to be checked out.
