Vein Condition
Leg Swelling & Discoloration
What is Leg Swelling & Discoloration?
Swelling in the legs and ankles and skin changes on your legs aren’t just uncomfortable. They are potential signs of an underlying venous disorder.
Discoloration can appear as reddish patches or brown-colored, thickened skin, often near the ankles. Skin issues can advance to venous ulcers that can be painful and difficult to treat.
These symptoms can worsen over time if not treated. Addressing the problem can increase the blood circulation in your legs and potentially spare you from more serious vein issues in the future.
What Causes Leg Swelling & Discoloration?
Leg swelling and discoloration are two of many symptoms caused when the one-way valves of the legs are damaged and the blood moves in both directions. When these valves don’t work well, blood flows backwards and collects in your legs.
The most common cause is chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). CVI develops due to dysfunctional valves, a blood clot (deep vein thrombosis) in the leg or an injury to the vein.
Other symptoms of CVI include:
- Tired and achy legs
- Pain when walking
- Leg cramps (especially at night) and muscle spasms
- Restless legs
- Leg skin that is flaky or itchy or has reddish patches
- Varicose veins
Treatments for Leg Swelling & Discoloration
After using ultrasound imaging to diagnose your faulty valves or CVI, your vein specialists have many common treatments to choose from to address them.
Compression Therapy
Your vein specialists will likely prescribe compression socks or stockings while they create your treatment plan. For some patients, compression wear alone may be enough to manage symptoms.
Radiofrequency Ablation or Endovenous Laser Treatment
Minimally invasive surgery can close a bad vein permanently and get you back on your feet quickly. Physicians often close the vein using heat in the form of radio waves (radiofrequency ablation, or RFA) or light (endovenous laser treatment, or EVLT).
VenaSeal
Another option is sealing the vein with a glue-like adhesive called VenaSeal. In rare cases, patients have a bad reaction to the adhesive, which then has to be surgically removed.
Sclerotherapy
In sclerotherapy, the physician injects a chemical into the vein that damages the lining, causing the vein to collapse.
RELATED ARTICLE
When To Worry About Varicose Veins
Enlarged veins appear when the valves in the veins don’t work properly. If the valves become weakened or damaged, blood pools in the veins, causing them to swell, bulge and turn purple or blue. Varicose veins can develop anywhere, but they most often develop in the legs. That’s because leg veins have to fight gravity to get blood all the way up to the heart.