Chronic venous insufficiency

Description

A long-term condition in which leg veins have trouble returning blood to the heart.

Overview

Chronic venous insufficiency is a long-term condition in which leg veins don't return blood back to the heart as they should. The cause may be a blocked vein or a vein valve that does not work properly.

Symptoms

Symptoms include a dull ache or heaviness in the legs and leg swelling that gets worse throughout the day. Another symptom is leg pain that gets worse when standing. If it's severe, chronic venous insufficiency can cause open skin sores on the legs. These sores are often slow to heal.

Treatments

Compression stockings may help. If symptoms are very bad, a procedure may be done to treat the faulty vein.