Achy legs can have a lot of causes. This can result from nerve injury or trauma, dehydration, or blood clots. Another cause is a diseased artery and strained or overused leg muscles. But achy legs can also occur because of varicose veins. If you are concerned about your leg aches and experience other symptoms of varicose veins, you should visit a vein specialist in South Carolina, so you can get an evaluation and treatment.
How Varicose Veins Cause Cramping
If your circulatory system is functioning normally, the arteries carry fresh, oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your lungs and to other body parts. The used blood that contains carbon dioxide is then taken by your veins and sent back to your heart and lungs. But if your venous system is not working properly, varicose veins can develop.
Over time, factors such as hormonal fluctuations, too much standing or sitting, and excess weight can damage your veins. When your valves get weaker, your blood will flow the wrong way and back up within your veins. When this occurs, the delicate vein walls will bulge, stretch, and become twisted, forming varicose veins.
Usually, varicose veins are painful and swollen as well as cause cramping. Again, the blood that pools in your veins has been circulated through your body. It contains waste products and is deoxygenated. As this blood builds up in the veins, it tends to leak toxins into your muscles and tissues, causing irritation and inflammation. This, in turn, causes itching, burning, and aching sensations, together with painful cramping.
How to Know if Varicose Veins are Causing Your Leg Cramps and Pain
It may not always be easy to tell if your leg aches and cramps are due to varicose veins. In the early stages of varicose veins, you may not have visible varicose veins. Sometimes, leg cramps can result from peripheral artery disease. This disease narrows your legs’ arteries. So, if you experience persistent leg cramps, you should visit a vein specialist who can determine what’s causing your legal cramps and provide treatments.
If your leg cramps are due to varicose veins, you can choose from minimally invasive treatment options your doctor may introduce to you. These include laser treatment, which works by closing off the vein and rerouting your blood to a healthy vessel. Other treatment options include endovenous thermal ablation, sclerotherapy, and ambulatory phlebectomy.
It’s important to maintain vein health and seek treatment for varicose veins before your condition gets worse. Advanced stages of varicose veins can result in serious health issues such as blood clots and skin ulcers.