Have you ever looked down and realized the veins on your feet are bulging? If so, you may benefit from an appointment with Dr. Tif Siragusa. Sudden bulging veins on top of feet can be a sign of a vein problem that requires medical care.
The veins on your feet may bulge for a number of reasons, including poor blood flow and inflammation. Other health conditions may cause bulging veins in your lower legs and feet.
Possible reasons the veins on your feet are bulging
Poor blood flow
Along with arteries and capillaries, your veins are part of your circulatory system. Your arteries carry oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood from your heart to the rest of your body. Your capillaries, which are tiny blood vessels, provide this blood to the tissues and organs of your body; capillaries also deposit carbon dioxide and other toxins into your veins, which carries the blood from the far reaches of your body back up to your heart. Arteries get a little help from gravity as they carry blood downwards, while veins have to work against gravity to move blood up and out of your legs and feet.
Every time your heart beats, it pushes blood a little further along in your blood vessels. In between heartbeats, small valves in your veins open and close to allow blood to advance from one segment of the vein to the next. Your veins are also elastic, so they push blood upwards and out of your lower legs.
Without these valves and elasticity, your blood could flow backwards and down into your legs – doctors refer to this backwards flow of blood as “venous reflux.” Left unaddressed, you may develop chronic venous insufficiency, which means your veins won’t allow the blood to come back up to your heart.
Reflux and chronic venous insufficiency can cause blood and other fluids to accumulate in your feet. Excess blood in your feet can cause the veins to swell, bulge, and thicken enough for them to bulge outwards. Left untreated, these veins can turn into varicose veins, which are rope-like blue or red veins that stand out from your skin.
Other health conditions and factors
A blood clot can cause sudden bulging in one or more veins on your feet. Blood clots can obstruct the flow of blood within the vein and eventually cause excess blood to pool in your feet.
Pregnancy can cause bulging veins on your feet. Pregnant women have more blood circulating around their body than they do when they are not pregnant. In fact, blood volume increases by 33 percent or more – that means a woman has a third more blood flowing through her veins while pregnant than she does when she is not. This excess blood can pool inside the veins of the lower extremities, causing the veins to swell and bloat.
Aging can also cause bulging veins on your lower legs and your feet. As your grow older, your veins lose elasticity, which means they do not push blood upwards and out of the veins in your feet as well as when you were young.
Sitting or standing for a long time may also cause bulging veins in your feet. Bulging develops when the veins cannot fight gravity well enough to move blood up and out of your lower legs.
Abdominal tumors or masses can interfere with blood flow to cause bulging veins, but these are much rarer than other causes, such as reflux, chronic venous insufficiency, and aging.
Siragusa’s vein clinic in nashville
If varicose veins, spider veins or other vascular issues are causing you health problems,schedule a consult with us right away. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the middle of winter or July here in Nashville, TN. We’ll plan out a course of vein treatment to help you deal with varicose veins, spider veins, or DVT.
Getting Your Insurance To Cover Your Vein Treatment
Many of our patients are very surprised to learn that Insurance often covers the treatment of symptomatic spider veins. The insurance specialists at Siragusa Vein and Laser have compiled a list of ways to get your insurance provider to cover your treatment.
Take The First Step
If you are ready to stop hiding your legs and dealing with the embarrassment of spider veins, let Dr. Siragusa and his team get you back to loving your legs and living your life.