Do You Have Restless Legs? You May Have Vein Disease!

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is a disorder that causes an overwhelming urge to move one’s legs and affects 5-10% of adults in the United States1. It typically occurs in the evening or with relaxation. People who suffer from restless leg syndrome describe it as an irresistible urge to get up and move or shake their legs to alleviate the buzzing, tingling, crawling, and restlessness that occurs. For many years, doctors have thought that restless leg syndrome is exclusively a neurological condition. However, several studies over the last 10 years point to venous disease as highly associated with RLS.

How Does Vein Disease Cause Restless Leg Syndrome?

Healthy veins have valves that prevent the backward flow of blood down into your legs. Vein disease is caused by faulty vein valves that allow backward leakage of blood. Backward blood flow causes your veins to enlarge, bulge, and twist resulting in leg symptoms including restless legs. You do NOT have to have bulging varicose veins to have significant, life-style limiting symptoms including restless legs. Vein disease may or may not be associated with varicose veins, spider veins, skin changes and venous ulcerations, or restless legs and indiscriminately affects between 30–40 million Americans.

Symptoms of Venous Insufficiency:

●       Restless legs

●       Itching

●       Heaviness/tiredness

●       Aches/pain/tenderness

●       Burning

●       Cramping

●       Night cramping

●       Spider veins -- especially below your knees or near your ankles

●       Bulging, varicose veins

●       Ankle swelling

●       Skin discoloration -- slight or obvious darkening of your skin near your ankles

●       Bleeding veins

●       Ulceration

 How Is Vein Disease Diagnosed as the Cause of Your RLS?

Contact Aleman Vein Center today to schedule an evaluation. A careful history and physician exam are usually all that is necessary to make an accurate diagnosis. An in-office ultrasound exam of your legs is also performed which confirms evidence of vein disease.

Why Should I Choose Aleman Vein Center?

 Dr. Aleman has treated patients with venous disease in the Atlanta area for over 15 years.  While many doctors dabble in vein care, we treat only vein patients all day and every day. We have treated thousands of patients just like you. Aleman Vein Center succeeds where others fail.

 How Does Aleman Vein Center Treat Vein Disease?

 Ultrasound shows leaking vein valves and guides your non-surgical treatment. There is no role for surgery in vein care! Ultrasound-guided, minimally invasive treatments have revolutionized vein care over the last 20 years. Your vein procedure is virtually painless, takes less than an hour, and there is NO down time! Vein-related problems resolve after your leaking veins are treated.

The two procedures performed at Aleman Vein Center for vein disease include thermal ablation and ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy technology which is the future of vein care available today.

 Thermal ablation is the elimination of abnormal, straight veins inside the leg using a radiofrequency electrode, elegantly closing the abnormal vein and improving venous circulation in the leg. Almost every patient who is treated for lifestyle-limiting vein symptoms receives thermal ablation; however, thermal ablation can only eliminate an abnormal straight vein. Virtually every patient needs an additional procedure to properly treat invisible branch veins coming off the treated straight vein. These branch veins, hidden under the skin, ultimately feed into varicose veins hidden under the skin, as well as visible varicose veins that bulge the skin.

 Ultrasound-Guided Foam Sclerotherapy (UGFS) is performed after thermal ablation at Aleman Vein Center and is the future of vein care available today. Very few centers even perform UGFS, and even fewer are experts at UGFS. UGFS uses ultrasound to identify hidden, abnormal veins and a tiny needle is directed into the abnormal veins and special foam is injected instantly destroying the abnormal vein. Foam is absorbed by your blood in a few seconds and nothing is left behind. Your body absorbs the treated vein over several months. No surgical incision is made with UGFS and all abnormal veins can be treated. Many of our patients have recurrent vein problems from prior treatment performed at another vein practice. This is because these patients never received UGFS as part of their vein treatment plan, and hidden abnormal veins were left behind. Dr. Aleman has extensive training and experience in UGFS.  He has personally performed tens of thousands of UGFS procedures.

Choosing the Right Vein Care Specialist is Imperative

Not all vein doctors are equal. Modern vein treatment is not a surgical disease, and seeing a surgeon or “vascular” surgeon is no guarantee you will receive state-of-the-art vein care. What distinguishes Dr. Aleman from other ‘vein specialists’ is the breadth of experience and skill he has in working with veins.    

Reference:

1. The effect of endovenous laser ablation on restless legs syndrome

C A Hayes 1, J R Kingsley, K R Hamby, J Carlow; PMID: 18467618; DOI: 10.1258/phleb.2007.007051