Venous InsufficiencySymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Venous Insufficiency
Venous insufficiency is a condition in which the veins have problems sending blood from the legs back to the heart.
Chronic venous stasis; Chronic venous disease; Leg ulcer - venous insufficiency; Varicose veins - venous insufficiency
Normally, valves in your deeper leg veins keep blood moving forward toward the heart. With long-term (chronic) venous insufficiency, vein walls are weakened and valves are damaged. This causes the veins to stay filled with blood, especially when you are standing.
Chronic venous insufficiency is a long-term condition. It is most commonly due to malfunctioning (incompetent) valves in the veins. It may also occur as the result of a past blood clot in the legs.
Risk factors for venous insufficiency include:
- Age
- Family history of this condition
- Female sex (related to levels of the hormone progesterone)
- History of deep vein thrombosis in the legs
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Sitting or standing for long periods
- Tall height
Pain or other symptoms include:
- Dull aching, heaviness, or cramping in legs
- Itching and tingling
- Pain that gets worse when standing
- Pain that gets better when legs are raised
Skin changes in the legs include:
- Swelling of the legs
- Irritated or cracked skin if you scratch it
- Red or swollen, crusted, or weepy skin (stasis dermatitis)
- Varicose veins on the surface
- Thickening and hardening of the skin on the legs and ankles (lipodermatosclerosis)
- Wound or ulcer that is slow to heal on the legs or ankles
Your provider may suggest that you take the following self-care steps to help manage venous insufficiency:
- Do not sit or stand for long periods. Even moving your legs slightly help keep the blood flowing.
- Care for wounds if you have any open sores or infections.
- Lose weight if you are overweight.
- Exercise regularly.
You can wear compression stockings to improve blood flow in your legs. Compression stockings gently squeeze your legs to move blood up your legs. This helps prevent leg swelling and, to a lesser extent, blood clots.
When more advanced skin changes are present, your provider:
- Should explain which skin care treatments can help, and which can make the problem worse
- May recommend some medicines that may help
Your provider may recommend more invasive treatments if you have:
- Leg pain, which may make your legs feel heavy or tired
- Skin sores caused by poor blood flow in the veins that do not heal or that recur
- Thickening and hardening of the skin on the legs and ankles (lipodermatosclerosis)
Possible treatment procedures include:
- Sclerotherapy -- Salt water (saline), a chemical solution, or foam is injected into the vein. The vein hardens and then disappears.
- Phlebectomy -- Small surgical cuts (incisions) are made in the leg near the damaged vein. The vein is removed through one of the incisions.
- Procedures that can be done in a provider's office or clinic, such as using a laser, radiofrequency ablation, or a technique that uses a glue or foam to seal the vein.
- Varicose vein stripping -- Used to remove or tie off a large vein in the leg called the superficial saphenous vein.
Kathleen Gibson is a Vascular Surgeon practicing medicine in Bellevue, Washington. Dr. Gibson is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Venous Insufficiency. She is also highly rated in 9 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Varicose Veins, Venous Insufficiency, May Thurner Syndrome, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA), and Carotid Artery Surgery. Dr. Gibson is currently accepting new patients.
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Gary Siskin is an Interventional Radiologist practicing medicine in Albany, New York. Dr. Siskin is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Venous Insufficiency. He is also highly rated in 43 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Venous Insufficiency, Ascites, Ureterocele, Liver Embolization, and Bone Marrow Aspiration.
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Dr. Henke is the James C. Stanley Professor of Vascular Surgery, operating both at the University of Michigan and the Veteran’s Administration Hospital. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1988, and from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine in 1992. He did his General Surgery residency at the University of Louisville, where he was honored with the Chairman’s Award for Personal Scholarship and the C. M. Edelen Award for best resident paper of the year in 1997. He joined the University of Michigan for his Vascular Surgery fellowship, and graduated to join the faculty in 2000. He is the past Chief of Surgery at the Ann Arbor VA, Co-director of the BCBSM Vascular Intervention Collaboration and the past President of the American Venous ForumClinical Specialization:His clinical and research focus is on lower extremity arterial, venous and vascular medicine patient issues. Dr. Henke is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Venous Insufficiency. He is also highly rated in 31 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Mesenteric Venous Thrombosis, Deep Vein Thrombosis, Peripheral Artery Disease, Aneurysm Repair, and Carotid Artery Surgery. Dr. Henke is board certified in Surgery and Vascular Surgery.
Chronic venous insufficiency tends to get worse over time. However, it can be managed if treatment is started in the early stages. By taking self-care steps, you may be able to ease the discomfort and prevent the condition from getting worse. It is likely that you will need medical procedures to treat the condition.
Contact your provider if:
- You have varicose veins and they are painful.
- Your condition gets worse or does not improve with self-care, such as wearing compression stockings or avoiding standing for too long.
- You have a sudden increase in leg pain or swelling, fever, redness of the leg, or leg sores.
Summary: Post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) is the most common chronic complication of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), with major consequences for patient quality of life and cost of management. Identifying patients at high risk of developing PTS could be useful for its prevention and may lead to more appropriate therapeutic strategies to reduce its incidence and severity. Prognostic tools for predicting risk are ...
Summary: Chronic leg and foot ulcers are defined as wounds that fail to heal in a timely manner, typically persisting for over 4 to 8 weeks without substantial healing despite standard care. These ulcers often result from macro- and microvascular disorders, the most common being chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), alone or with peripheral artery disease (PAD) or microangiopathy. Despite different causes, c...
Published Date: June 04, 2026
Published By: Jacob Berman, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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Markovic JN, Shortell CK. Chronic venous disorders: Nonoperative treatment. In: Sidawy AN, Perler BA, Harris LM, eds. Rutherford's Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2027:chap 152.
Shokrzadeh CL, Davis AN, Bush RL. Venous disease. In: Tyler DS, Hayes-Dixon A, Hines OJ, et al, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 108.
Weitz JI, Eikelboom JW. Venous thrombosis and embolism. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 68.