Relieving Severe Leg Swelling and Varicose Veins With Modern Endovenous Ablation

The veins in your legs have perhaps the hardest job in your body’s vascular system. The route that blood takes from your legs to your heart pushes against gravity at a rate beyond your heart’s pumping power. 

Instead, veins have a series of one-way valves to limit backward blood flow while using the pumping power of movement to force blood back to the heart and lungs. Swollen ankles and legs or varicose veins are symptoms that this system is failing. 

Vascular medicine specialist Dr. Enrique Hernandez of Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins  often recommends endovenous ablation as an effective treatment for this condition. It’s a minimally invasive way to trigger the body’s ability to reroute blood to healthy veins. Let’s take a closer look at how the procedure works. 

Venous disease

Swollen legs and varicose veins aren’t always serious health concerns, although how seriously they should be taken requires medical assessment. When venous insufficiency is the cause, failing valves are the reason for the fluid retention that causes swelling and the cosmetic appearance of gnarled, twisted varicose veins. 

Endovenous ablation

The medical prefix “endo” means “inside,” so endovenous ablation takes place within the affected vein’s walls, by way of a thin catheter. Heat is the treatment medium, as the modern process uses laser or radiofrequency energy to warm surrounding vein tissues. 

This heat closes off the problem vein, blocking the already weak blood flow through this section and forcing your body to reroute blood through nearby healthy veins. Over time, your body reabsorbs the tissue from the treated veins. 

Contemporary endovenous ablation uses tiny punctures rather than surgical incisions to treat veins. We can precisely place catheters using ultrasound to guide them. 

Treatments are usually done as outpatient procedures in our office using local anesthetics to keep you comfortable. As a low-impact treatment, endovenous ablation means less discomfort and minimal recovery time for you. 

After your treatment

While you may experience some tenderness around the treatment site, we encourage walking soon after your session because it helps pump blood through your legs. You can return to your regular routine activities quickly, though those who have extensive treatments may have some restrictions. 

The progress of your treatment depends on factors unique to your body. It takes time for the cosmetic effects of the treatment to work, up to a year for some patients as the body slowly dissolves old vein tissue. 

Discomfort or pain from varicose veins eases much sooner, usually within about 14 days. If swelling is an issue, you’ll also notice reduced swelling in this time frame. 

Find out more about endovenous ablation with a vascular evaluation at Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins. With locations in Miami, Miami Lakes, and Doral, Florida, we’re conveniently located to help you. Call or click to book your consultation today.