Treatment for Venous Insufficiency with Compression Devices

Venous insufficiency is a condition in which the veins in a person’s legs can’t pump blood back to the heart. The result is swelling in the affected lower extremity along with possible other serious health problems. Doctors recommend treatment for venous insufficiency not to cure it but to give patients a more comfortable experience and a better way to manage the condition.

The underlying root cause of the condition will determine how a physician will choose to approach it. One fairly common treatment is to have the patient wear what are called “compression stockings.” They’re made of strong elastic and apply continuous pressure to the ankles and lower legs. The pressure makes it more difficult for blood to pool in the treated areas, thereby improving blood flow and reducing swelling. Stockings are an excellent treatment for venous insufficiency in some cases.

In more severe or advanced cases, physicians will usually prescribe some type of pressure device to wear around the affected area as the preferred method of treatment for venous insufficiency. These devices, often referred to as “gradient, sequential, pneumatic pressure devices,” work by filling chambers within the sleeve with a specific amount of air pressure, which works to reduce swelling similar to the way stockings do, only they’re much more effective.

There are various models of compression devices available to treat this condition as well as lymphadema and chronic venous stasis ulcers. All models can be used at home as well as in treatment centers. Compression devices help to pump fluid through the lymphatic system to other areas of the body. As the name implies, patients with venous insufficiency have veins that have insufficient power to move fluid, so the compression device mimics what the veins can no longer do.

The instruments are light and easy to carry around the house or on trips. They’re comprised of a sleeve made of vinyl with chambers and a small pump that supplies air pressure. Treatment for venous insufficiency that includes the use of these devices is effective in the majority of cases.

Patients can program the pump to the exact specifications their doctors prescribe. Once the sleeve is on and the pump is working, a person can engage in any sitting or lying activity they normally would – reading, watching TV, talking on the phone, working on a computer, etc.

Treatment for venous insufficiency is important because of what can result if it is not dealt with. Here are some of the possible side effects and resulting conditions:

• Cellulitis
• Erysipelas
• Lymphangitis
• Infections, both fungal and bacterial
• Mounting pain
• Compressed nerves in the affected area
• Loss of limb functioning
• Deep venous thrombosis
• Sepsis
• Gangrene
• Pleural effusions
• Splitting of the skin
• Plaques

In severe cases, a limb may have to be amputated, and an unlikely but possible worst-case-scenario is cancer. These and the above-mentioned problems are all reasons that early treatment for venous insufficiency is critically important.