SPRINGFIELD -- Up to 40 million Americans suffer from a problem that sneaks up on many people. Varicose veins could affect you if you come home from a long day of standing, just dying to put your feet up and rest your tired aching legs. The pain may even keep you up at night.
You shouldn’t assume varicose veins are just nuisances that come with aging. Damaged veins need medical attention, an technology just keeps giving doctors new tools to fix the problems.
"Mine's just genetics. My grandma had it and passed it down to me,” said Teresa Barr.
Barr was only 35 when she recognized the first signs of varicose veins, something she'd seen her grandmother deal with for years.
"Just achiness in my legs in the calf area, usually after a long standing period,” she said.
With the family history and her medical background as a physician's assistant, Barr kew what happens when damaged veins are left untreated.
“The varicose veins get wider and contorted,” she said. “Over time, you get venus stasis, where the blood pools. You become more prone to infection.”
“You can develop ulcerations around your ankles,” said Dr. Charles Dunn, a general surgeon.
It's a problem that vascular surgeons like Dunn have been treating for years. Through the years, technology has dramatically improved the way that doctors get rid of varicose veins, first with laser catheters that reach into the damaged veins with amazingly high heat.
“The laser can get up to 1,000 degrees Celsius,” said Dunn.
Now surgeons like Dunn reach for an even newer tool. The latest advance in treating varicose veins actually turns the heat down. It's the VNUS catheter that uses radio frequency energy to heat and close diseased leg veins in about two minutes -- heat similar to what your microwave oven uses.
"The radio frequency catheter goes to 120. The tissue injury is just inside the vein. With the laser, it can go outside the vein. That's why the patients have more pain,” said Dunn. "Lasered patients in my experience had a lot more pain. They required narcotics after surgery. With the VNUS closure procedure, they have no pain."
Patients are given a local anesthetic for the procedure itself. An ultra sound picture guides the surgeon as he guides the catheter through the damaged veins. The surgery lasts less than an hour, and patients like Barr have been thrilled with the results.
“The pain's gone,” said Barr. "When I run, my legs aren't heavy; they feel like that nice springy 18-year-old leg."
The procedure is not only efficient and effective but also patient-friendly.
"I went back to work the very next day. It was great,” said Barr.
Severe varicose veins are a serious medical problem so treatment isn't considered cosmetic surgery and is covered by Medicare and health insurance.