Can Restless Leg Syndrome Be Linked to Venous Issues?

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 Fort Worth Vein Center today to schedule an evaluation. A careful history and physician exam are usually all that is necessary to make an accurate diagnosis. A 30 minute ultrasound exam of your legs is also performed which confirms evidence of vein disease. To determine if vein disease is causing your restless legs, a 2 day on, 2 day off compression hose trial is often used to assess improvement of your restless legs symptoms. If high-quality, graduated, medical-grade compression hose provide you relief from your restless legs, it is very likely that medical venous treatment will give you even better relief from restless legs.

Why Should I Choose Fort Worth Vein Center?

Patients travel from around the great state of Texas to seek the care of the Vein Care Specialists at Fort Worth Vein Center. Fort Worth Vein Center is led by Barry Oswalt, M.D., FACS, FVLM, DABS, DABVLM a well known vein care physician leader, providing the highest standard in diagnosis and treatment of vein disease. Fort Worth Vein Center offices are rated highly for both patient and employee satisfaction.

Dr. Oswalt is double board-certified in Venous & Lymphatic Medicine, and Surgery. 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. Fort Worth Vein Center succeeds where others fail.

How Does Fort Worth 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 15 years. Your vein procedure is virtually painless, takes less than an hour, and there is NO recovery time! Vein-related problems resolve after your leaking veins are treated.

The two procedures performed at Fort Worth 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 straight laser fiber or 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 Fort Worth 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 can eliminate all abnormal veins and was predicted by experts 15 years to replace all other forms of vein treatment! 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. One in three new Fort Worth Vein Center 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. Oswalt has been using UGFS for over 10 years as part of his treatment protocols.

Treatment Protocol

The treatment protocol is walk-in, walk out. There are zero limitations following this procedure. The only lifestyle change is thigh-high compression hose. That’s it. Treatments will take anywhere from three to five sessions per leg to treat the venous disease.

50% of patients that develop lifestyle limiting, vein related symptoms, will never have visible signs of Vein disease. Oftentimes, patients are never diagnosed, so they live with life shortening conditions because they are completely unaware, says Dr. Oswalt.

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. Oswalt from other ‘vein specialists’ is the breadth of experience and skill he has in working with veins, ‘veins all day, everyday’. Fort Worth Vein Center customer satisfaction scores far exceed industry averages.

Fort Worth Vein Center is located at 5668 Edwards Ranch Rd, Ft. Worth. In the Clear Fork area of Ft. Worth.
Barry Oswalt

 

 

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