What is PVD – Peripheral Vascular Disease?
Peripheral Vascular Disease: Not Always Just An Artery Issue
When the term peripheral vascular disease (PVD) comes up; it is a common misconception that this refers to just arterial disease. PVD refers to both the arterial and venous circulation. Arteries in the legs carry blood from the heart to the toes (periphery), and veins carry the blood from the toes back to the heart. While peripheral artery disease is common, a surprising fact for most people is that chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is ten times more prevalent than arterial disease.
An estimated 17% of men and 40% of women in the United States suffer from at least one or more symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency which totals over 30 million Americans affected by CVI. In 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated that the impact of chronic venous insufficiency represented 1-2% of the total healthcare costs in the United States. So, although peripheral artery disease is a component of peripheral vascular disease, chronic venous insufficiency can be equally, if not more troublesome.
If you or a loved one suffer from lower extremity pain or discomfort, please take the time to have your symptoms evaluated by a qualified provider.
Question: I have spider veins on my legs and they really hurt to the touch. Can that be dangerous to my health? Answer: In the large picture, pain associated with spider veins is not life threatening. It would be worthwhile to have an evaluation by a qualified provider to see if these spider veins are…
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I am scheduled for a right leg radiofrequency ablation. I have venous insufficiency in the saphenous vein and have had a blood clot before. Question: In 2006, I underwent an artificial lumbar disk implant. This failed causing artificial disk to move into the spine. While surgeon removed the artificial disk implant, he nicked the liac…
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My doctor said my vein is too large to have sclerotherapy performed first, is this true? Question: I have a few visible spider veins on my lower leg that I want treated with foam sclerotherapy. However, the doctor wants me to do endovenous laser treatment before the sclerotherapy. According to him, my vein is way…
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I’m having the same pain that I had before my ablation procedure, except it is in a different new location. How long will this go on? Question: It’s been 2 months since my GSV endovenous laser ablation procedure. I have the same pain that I had before the procedure, except it’s in a new location.…
Read MoreI recently had the VNUS procedure done (both legs, multiple veins). Is it normal to have open, circular wound with redness and slight weepiness? Question: All of the other areas are healing nicely, but the area on my shin (a bit off center) has a much larger wound. It has been quite red in the…
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Question: How big of a size do compression stockings come in? Answer: Compression socks should be comfortable and supportive. If the stockings are making your symptoms worse, it is likely that they do not fit you correctly. There are numerous companies that make standard sized compression stockings. Some make 7 to 8 different sizes. Additionally,…
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Question: WHAT CAN I DO TO GET RID OF MY VARICOSE VEINS? Answer: There are numerous options to treat varicose veins. Some are considered medically necessary, while others are strictly cosmetic. Larger veins are treated in a myriad of ways depending on the provider you consult with and their proficiency in a given intervention. The…
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Question: I knelt down the other day and injured the large varicose vein over my knee. It bruised quickly and felt very sore, so I put a pressure bandage on it. Since then, the vein bruise has spread and is now about 12″ up my thigh. It is very red, and I’m not sure what…
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Question: What treatment options are available for my CVI? I can’t sit or stand in one place and I have heavy, aching legs all of the time. I started to have achy, heavy leg feelings about a month after I sprained my right ankle and scratched my left knee last April. I was diagnosed with…
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Question: During the EVLT laser procedure I really didn’t feel well, especially when the laser was on. I felt dizzy and the smell of “burning” freaked me out. Even after I was done, it took me couple hours to feel normal again. Is that normal? Answer: The “odor” and sometimes a taste is normal during…
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