Venous Congestion in the Legs

If you have sudden, unexplained leg pain, then it may be worth a visit to your physician to find out what is causing the problem. You may be experiencing venous congestion, which is a condition of fluid buildup in the legs after a prolonged period of standing or sitting. However, there may be other explanations and only your doctor can accurately diagnose venous congestion symptoms.

Venous Congestion Meaning

The condition of venous congestion happens when the blood in your legs stops flowing as it should and instead starts pooling. This can be dangerous because the blood in your legs eventually makes its way to your heart.

If your heart does not receive the amount of blood it needs to keep pumping continuously, this condition is known as venous insufficiency. The lack of blood flow causes a painful burning sensation in both your legs and feet. It will be necessary for you to see a doctor for proper foot care and treatment of your leg pain.

If you have experienced a buildup of blood in the legs or feet in the past, you have a higher likelihood of developing the problem a second time.

Other venous congestion symptoms you may also notice include varicose veins or spider veins protruding from your legs. These are veins that have risen to the skin surface due to lack of blood flow. Varicose veins tend to be just one enlarged vein at a time while spider veins usually form clusters of purplish skin resembling a spider web. Both of these conditions may be a precursor to venous congestion or venous inconsistency.

Your foot doctor may recommend that you wear a pair of support hose up to your knee to lessen the discomfort associated with these various vein conditions.

Dr. Jason Gold, DPM, FACFAS

Dr. Jason Gold, DPM, FACFAS, is a podiatrist at the Foot, Ankle & Leg Vein Center in Boca Raton, FL, and Boynton Beach, FL. He has over 20 years of experience and specializes in foot and ankle conditions like bunions, fat pad atrophy, and sports medicine. Dr. Jason holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland, College Park, and he earned his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine from Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in Philadelphia. He's one of only 10 board-certified Reconstructive Foot & Ankle Surgeons in Palm Beach County. Dr. Gold has been featured in highly authoritative publications like HuffPost, PureWow, and Yahoo!

Dr. Jodi Schoenhaus , DPM - Podiatrist in Boca Raton, FL

Dr. Jodi Schoenhaus DPM, RPhs, FACFAS

Dr. Jodi Schoenhaus, DPM, RPhs, FACFAS, is a podiatrist at the Foot, Ankle & Leg Vein Center in Boca Raton, FL, and Boynton Beach, FL. She has over 20 years of experience and specializes in foot, ankle, and leg vein conditions like spider and varicose veins and sclerotherapy. Dr. Jodi holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan, and she earned his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine from Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in Philadelphia. Dr. Schoenhaus has performed FDA-approved research and has been published in the National Library of Medicine and PubMed. Dr. Jodi has been featured in highly authoritative publications like Cosmopolitan, Lifehacker, Parade, New York Post, and Yahoo!, among others.