Vein Education--How Veins Work

How  Normal Veins and Valves Work

When normal veins undergo "pumping" by movement of the calf muscles in the legs, the veins get squeezed together. This results in the blood getting forced upwards into the pelvis toward the heart. When the muscles relax and the veins open again, the blood is kept in place by the valves in the vein.  When the valves are working  normally the vein is said to be "competent".

Failing  Veins due to Abnormal Valves

When the valves in a vein do not work correctly, they are called "incompetent". The muscle squeezes the vein and the blood is forced up and out of the vein, as in normal veins. However, when the pressure eases and the veins open up, the blood is allowed to fall back down the leg and pool when the valves don't close tightly. This is called venous reflux or chronic venous insufficiency, and it is the major cause of most venous diseases and is almost always the cause of varicose veins.

Venous Reflux or Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI): Vein Disease

Vein or venous diseases can lead to spider veins, varicose veins, phlebitis, blood clots, ulcers, and changes in the skin like discoloration due to pigmentation or dry or weeping eczema. Symptoms can include edema (swelling) of the legs, ankles, and feet, feeling of heaviness in the legs, restless legs, pain or cramps in your calves, aching, itching, tingling, tightness and fatigue.

Diagnoses and Evaluation of Vein Disease

A consultation with your doctor along with an examination focused on the venous system and a Doppler Duplex Ultrasound typically lead to a diagnosis.

This is how the blood moves through the body

It starts with the heart, which is the main pump of the circulatory system. It pumps oxygen rich blood full of nutrients to the tissues in the body. The blood vessels that take blood quickly away from the heart to the body tissues are called arteries. When the blood reaches the legs, it is returned to the heart through the squeezing of the calf muscles and vessels called veins. These veins have valves called flaps in them that keep the blood moving up the legs to the heart. Because gravity works against the upward motion of the blood, it is harder for the body to return the blood to the heart than to move it to the legs.