Your browser is out of date
With an updated browser, you will have a better Medtronic website experience. Update my browser now.
Varicose veins are not just a cosmetic issue. Leg vein disease can cause varicose veins and other painful symptoms that can impact how you live. We believe life shouldn’t be limited by pain caused by leg vein disease, and that’s why we’re here to help you understand your pain and break free from it.
Think you’re experiencing leg vein disease? Use our quick symptom checker to assess what’s going on and how to feel better. The journey to feeling good again starts here.
Healthy leg veins have valves that keep blood flowing to the heart. Vein disease develops when the valves stop working properly and cause blood to flow backward and pool in the lower leg veins.
Known risk factors1
Varicose veins
Leg swelling
Skin color and texture changes
Venous ulcers
Images courtesy of Rajabrata Sarkar, M.D., Ph.D.
An ultrasound scan is the only definitive way to diagnose vein disease. A technician uses this test to take an image of the inside of the veins in your leg. A doctor will review the test results to determine if the valves inside the veins are working properly.
Varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) are recognized by many insurance companies, including Medicare and private insurers, as medical conditions.
When left untreated, leg vein disease can progress into a more serious condition known as CVI.2 If CVI is left untreated, legs can sometimes develop painful sores or wounds on the skin’s surface, called ulcers. Ulcers typically appear near the ankle or lower leg and are brought on from the increased buildup of fluid and blood pressure from veins affected by CVI.2
Patients who receive early vein closure treatment along with compression stocking therapy for venous leg ulcers experienced significantly shorter time to healing and extended time free from ulcers.3
Chronic Venous Insufficiency. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/chronic-venous-insufficiency. Accessed March 10, 2022.
Eberhardt RT, Raffetto JD. Chronic venous insufficiency. Circulation. July 22, 2014;130(4):333-346.
Gohel MS, Heatley F, Liu X, et al. A Randomized Trial of Early Endovenous Ablation in Venous Ulceration. N Engl J Med. May 31, 2018;378(22)2105-2114.
O’Donnell TF Jr, Passman MA, Marston WA, et al. Management of venous leg ulcers: Clinical Practice Guidelines of the Society for Vascular Surgery and the American Venous Forum. J Vasc. Surg. August 2014;60(2 Suppl):3S-59S.
Rice JB, Desai U, Cummings AKG, Birnbaum HG, Skornicki M, Parsons N. Burden of venous leg ulcers in the United States. J Med Econ. May 2014;17(5):347-356.
The Outpatient Wound Clinic Market 2013 Report and Analytics, Net Health Analytics (2010-2012 claims data).
Valencia IC, Falabella A, Kirsner RS, et al. Chronic venous insufficiency and venous leg ulceration. J Am Acad Dermatol. March 2001;44(3):401-421.
Green J, Jester R. Health-related quality of life and chronic venous leg ulceration: part 1. Br J Community Nurs. December 2009;14(12):S12, S14, S16-S17.
Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.