CHRONIC VENOUS DISEASES

A feeling of discomfort in your legs may be a sign of an underlying venous disorder.

These symptoms include tired and achy legs. You may experience them especially when sitting or standing for prolonged hours. During summer time, those symptoms may increase due to the heat. These symptoms are typically associated with swollen feet and ankles (especially in the evening).


The following tips will help relieving and preventing these symptoms :

- wear 15 to 20 mmHg SIGVARIS compression stockings ;
- walk, bike, swim ;
- elevate your legs ;
- apply a cool shower on the legs.

As for oedemas (swellings) that occur after several hours spent in transportation (airplane, car, train, bus), some easy tips will help you travel with more comfort. ( see "Life situations - Travelling")

Night cramps are seldom from venous origin. It is important to know that leg pains are not all of venous origin. It is therefore recommended to see your doctor in order for him/her to do a diagnosis and to propose the right treatment for you.

They are small, dilated superficial veins

Also known as teleangiectasias, they may be located in different areas of the leg. When found on thighs, they mostly represent just an esthetic problem. However, when located at the ankle, they may represent a serious venous insufficiency. A visit to your physician can detect a possible venous insufficiency. And finally, for esthetic reasons, spider veins can be removed by various simple procedures. After this treatment, 20 to 30 mmHg SIGVARIS compression stockings have proven their efficacy.

Varicose veins are the sign of a more serious venous disease.

A varicose vein is a dilated and tortuous superficial vein with defective valves. As a result, the blood in these veins flows backward. This condition is known as blood reflux.

Varicose veins can be painful, or on the contrary totally painless. We can find them on the foot, the calf, the thigh or on the entire leg. If not treated varicose veins can lead to serious complications.

Treatment with 20 to 30 mmHg SIGVARIS compression stockings alleviates the symptoms and prevent complications.

When oedema is present, we speak of chronic venous insufficiency.

The oedema of the foot and the ankle occur when the blood stagnates in the superficial and deep veins in the lower part of the leg. The capillaries can no longer play their role. Water and waste build up in the skin in the lower leg and induce a venous oedema (swelling of the foot and the ankle).

However, not all oedemas are of venous origin. Consult your physician for proper diagnosis.

Wearing SIGVARIS compression stocking will reduce or completely eliminate the oedema. The pressure required will be determined by the physician as it depends on the underlying condition.

The waste built-up leads to tissue damage, and consequently to inflammatory reactions such as eczema.

This is an example of what specialists call a stasis dermatitis.

20 to 30 mmHg SIGVARIS compression stockings will rapidly improve the itching and heal the condition.

These terms refer to an inflammation of the skin and underlying tissue, a thickening of the skin and a light to dark brown discoloration all found on the lower part of the leg.

SIGVARIS compression stockings will lead to healing of the dermatosclerosis but not eliminate the hyperpigmentation. The amount of pressure required will be determined by the physician.

The pigmentation will remain even after removal by surgery or sclerotherapy of the responsible varicose veins.

Severe deep venous and occasionaly also superficial venous insufficiency will develop into leg ulceration

A leg ulcer is a wound. It comes most of the time behind and above the ankle on the internal side of the leg. The ulcer is caused by venous stasis. Because the defective veins can no longer assume a good blood return, the cellular wastes are not well cleared up and trigger a toxic environment which prevents healing.

A vicious cycle between chronic venous hypertension and secondary local phenomena develops. Therefore, ulcers will only heal when the venous hypertension is controlled either by eliminating the responsible varicose vein(s) or by applying very strong compression which is usually required when deep veins are affected.

Only a doctor can prescribe the adapted treatment after all necessary exams are performed to identify the exact origin of the ulcer.