Venous Reflux and Burning Veins
One of the more common symptoms of vein disease is a burning sensation in your veins. It’s quite uncomfortable, and often is enough to prompt people into seeking treatment. The cause of this burning feeling is due to venous reflux, which is one of the many side effects of venous insufficiency. Keep reading to learn more about venous reflux and how to alleviate burning veins.
What is Venous Reflux?
Venous reflux happens when valves in the saphenous veins become damaged or blocked. According to Medical News Today, your saphenous veins drain blood out of the leg by sending it from the feet, shins, and thighs back to the heart.
When those valves become blocked or damaged, they are unable to route the blood back toward your heart. Rather, the blood follows gravity and flows back downward in the veins, negatively affecting your circulation. Venous reflux is also known as having leaky valves.
The downward flow of blood puts stress on your veins, as they must stretch to hold the excess fluid. This also weakens and thins your veins, and causes varicose veins to bulge and become more noticeable on the surface.
Why Do My Veins Burn?
The burning sensation of venous reflux happens when the blood begins to pool in your legs and feet. You may also experience a burning sensation while the blood is flowing downward. When you feel this burning pain in your veins, it’s time to seek vein treatment. Typically, these symptoms will not clear on their own and will continue to progressively get worse.
Another clue that venous reflux is occurring is a heavy feeling in your legs. If your legs feel heavier than usual, it can be due to blood flowing in the wrong direction and pooling in your veins.
What Causes Venous Reflux?
Venous reflux and its accompanying burning sensation are brought on by a number of factors including:
Genetics. If you have family members with vein disease, you are more likely to develop it yourself.
Obesity. Being overweight puts additional stress on your body including your veins, especially in your legs.
Prolonged standing or sitting. To promote proper blood flow in the legs, make sure you are moving around often, especially if you are working from home or have a desk job.
Pregnancy. Pregnancy is a common culprit of vein disease, due to the additional blood flow and weight put on the body.
Vein blockage. Vein blockage can be serious, and serves as another reason why it is important to get your burning veins checked.
How to Relieve Burning Veins
The good news is that until you are able to seek treatment, there are ways to soothe your burning veins at home.
Elevate your legs. Elevating your legs will help reverse some of the downward blood flow back up toward the heart. It can also help alleviate any swelling that may arise.
Stretch and move around. Don’t sit or stand idle for too long. If you are sitting too much, be sure to get up and walk around every few minutes. If you are standing, make sure to walk and avoid standing in one place for too long. Stretching your legs is also a great way to promote blood flow.
Cold showers and compresses. Cooling your veins will help alleviate the burning sensation and can also help reduce any swelling you may have.
Compression stockings. Compression stockings are a great at-home treatment for many symptoms of vein disease, including venous reflux. They help tighten your veins, allowing less blood to seep from leaky valves.
Treating Venous Reflux
There are a number of professional treatments to eliminate venous reflux. More common treatments include sclerotherapy and ablation. If you are seeking treatment for your venous reflux and burning veins, you can set up a free consultation with one of our expert providers. Most treatments can be done in as little as one day, with virtually no downtime, so don’t live with vein disease or burning veins – we are here to help!
