Don't Ignore Heavy Legs: Recognizing the Early Signs of Venous Insufficiency
The veins in your legs have to fight gravity, and sometimes they lose that battle. If you have signs of venous insufficiency, like heavy, achy, or tired legs, see a doctor.
Chronic Pelvic Pain? Why Hidden Vein Issues Could Be the Culprit
Your body has a massive network of blood vessels. With about 60,000 miles of these passageways, it’s not surprising that things can go wrong from time to time.
Sometimes, that’s no big deal. Your body redirects blood flow to other healthy vessels, and you carry on without even knowing you had an issue.
Other times, it presents a bigger issue. Malfunctioning veins in your pelvis, for example, can cause persistent discomfort.
This issue is so common that it has a name: pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS). If you’re living with chronic pelvic pain, see our providers at Louisiana Heart and Vascular Institute. As vein specialists, we can help you figure out if PCS affects you.
If it does, we can provide treatment at our office in Covington, Franklinton, or Hammond, Louisiana.
Understanding PCS
Your veins carry oxygen-depleted blood back to your heart. In other words, they support one-way traffic. Inside your veins, valves control blood flow to push it in the appropriate direction.
Sometimes, those valves malfunction. When that happens in your legs — the most common place because those valves must fight gravity — it’s called venous insufficiency.
But when it happens in your pelvis, you might get diagnosed with pelvic congestion syndrome. We typically use a painless diagnostic procedure, such as an ultrasound, to get a look at the blood flow in the veins of your pelvis. That lets us see if you have PCS.
The problem? Pelvic congestion syndrome affects women much more frequently than men, and many dismiss their pelvic pain as menstrual-related. That means they continue suffering instead of getting a diagnosis and seeking treatment.
Signs you’re dealing with pelvic congestion syndrome
Chronic pelvic pain is the hallmark sign of PCS. But pelvic congestion syndrome can cause other symptoms, including:
- A feeling of heaviness or fullness in your pelvis
- Achy pain that gets worse at the end of the day
- Pain that heightens when you lift something heavy or spend a long time on your feet
- Leg swelling
- Pain during and after sex
- Pain when you urinate
If your pain tends to improve when you lie down, that’s another sign you might have PCS.
Pay attention to your symptoms, even if they tend to coincide with your menstrual cycle. The discomfort from pelvic congestion syndrome often gets worse before and during a woman’s period.
Getting relief from your chronic pelvic pain
If a blood flow issue is behind your pelvic pain, you have a variety of treatment options. Some people get notable relief with relatively simple interventions such as medication, compression garments, or pelvic floor therapy.
If that doesn’t help, our team specializes in targeting problem veins. We offer both sclerotherapy and radiofrequency ablation. These minimally invasive treatments close off the vein with the backflow of blood.
If you have PCS, don’t suffer through it. Our team works closely with you, applying our expertise in venous issues to help you find relief. To find out if a hidden vein issue could be the culprit, call Louisiana Heart and Vascular Institute or schedule an appointment online today.
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