The “swollen and heavy legs” disorder can represent one of the manifestations of a vascular problem related to chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a condition characterized by an impaired venous return of blood from the periphery to the heart.
Chronic venous insufficiency can be caused by an overload of work of the veins that induces dilation of the walls of the same (varices). This disorder manifests itself in various ways: heaviness in the legs, swelling, soreness, a sense of fatigue, up to the appearance of tingling, cramps and pains, negatively affecting the quality of life.
There are those who suffer from it all year round, but in the summer the problem of swollen and heavy legs really affects many people, especially women.
The diagnosis of chronic venous disease is essentially based on the anamnesis and clinical examination, integrated with the venous echocolordoppler examination of the lower limbs; it is a non-invasive method, which provides morphological information on the state of the wall, on the valves, on the anatomy of the superficial and deep venous system, together with haemodynamic information regarding the direction of blood flow, with possible evidence of reflux and/or obstruction.