Varicose veins

Varicose veins—bulging veins that look dark purple or blue—are not always simply a cosmetic issue. For some people, varicose veins can cause fatigue, aching pain and discomfort. In either case, there is no reason to let varicose veins stop you from doing the things you enjoy.

Treatment options

Because varicose veins are often the result of extensive time on your feet, treatment may be as simple as avoiding standing as much as possible and elevating your legs when resting or sleeping.

Exercise may help by helping to minimize obesity and improving blood circulation in the legs. Try low-impact exercise, such as walking, swimming or biking at least 20 minutes each day of the week. For more information about exercise options at Sanford Health's Women's Health Center, click here.

Compression stockings may help, too. Worn all day, the stockings steadily squeeze your legs, helping veins and leg muscles move blood more efficiently.

When self-care options are not working, however, surgical treatment may be the next step. Thanks to innovative procedures now available for variscose veins, most cases can be treated on an outpatient basis, meaning patients go home the same day of the procedure.

Sanford Health offers an innovative, minimally invasive procedure—called VNUS Closure®—that treats varicose veins and their underlying cause, venous reflux, with little or no pain. In normal veins, valves in the vein keep blood moving forward toward the heart. When those valves fail—as with venous reflux—blood begins pooling in the vein, making veins larger. Patients receiving the Closure® treatment can walk away from the vein procedure and be back to their everyday activities typically within one day.

What is venous reflux?

In normal veins, valves in the the vein keep blood moving toward the heart. When those valves fail, blood begins to pool in the vein, making veins larger.


Other treatment options include:

• Vein stripping: A minor surgical procedure, vein stripping is used to remove a damaged vein and prevent complications of vein damage. If several valves in a vein and the vein itself are heavily damaged, the vein is removed (stripped).
• Schlerotherapy: A chemical (sclerosant) is injected into a varicose vein to damage and scar the inside lining of the vein, causing the vein to close. This usually works best for small veins.

Click here to request an appointment online.

Doctors

	Jeanette Viney, MD General surgery
	Timothy Pansegrau, MD Cardiovascular surgery
	Sean Russell, MD Cardiovascular surgery

Nurse practitioner

Tosha Bayer, DNP, FNP General surgery