Venous Reflux Disease

Our legs take us to wonderful places, to people we love and to where we need to go. For this reason, any problems with the legs can easily disrupt our lives.

On the top of the list of leg problems for people in Miami, Kendall and Coral Gables is venous insufficiency, or venous reflux disease. This is a common condition that comes about when valves in our veins don’t work properly. It results in increased pressure on the veins, aching, throbbing, fatigue and leg heaviness that can make life much harder than it needs to be.

What’s Going On?

In healthy legs, one-way veins have valves that help the blood flow upward to the heart. These valves are vital for helping blood overcome the force of gravity, so proper circulation can occur.

If the valves aren’t opening and closing properly, blood can flow backward, or reflux. Reflux causes blood to pool in the veins, causing itching, aching and swelling. It also leads to varicose veins, and can darken the skin near the ankle. Some even develop open wounds from vein problems, called ulcers.