The Vein Doctor

Nerve injuries during laser treatment for varicose veins are a potential risk. The nerves at particular risk are  the saphenous nerve (1*) and the sural nerve (2*). It  has been estimated that nerve injury may occur in over a third of laser treatments of the great saphenous vein and nearly one in twenty small saphenous vein treatments.

A recent study from Germany (3*) has even suggested that saphenous nerve injury is more likely after endovenous laser than after surgical stripping. The study authors have proposed that in some cases the nerve may have been injured by the needle during administration of … Continue reading »

Modern vein treatments are performed under local anaesthesia as a walk in walk out procedure. So, there is very little restriction on what you can do afterwards. I am going to tell you what advice I give to my patients after varicose veins treatment.

Immediately afterwards, you can walk around normally. On the day of your procedure I recommend that you sit with your feet up. Keep the blood flowing by performing regular ankle movements (the sort you might do on a long haul flight for example) and get up regularly … Continue reading »

Graduated Medical Hosiery

Medical stockings – some people love to wear them, some people hate them. Here are 7 things you should know about medical hosiery.

1.  Medical stockings are graduated. That means they are firmest at the ankle and they are progressively less firm from the ankle upwards. Some of you may remember “Calippo Lollies”. Well if you squeeze the calippo at the bottom, up comes the ice lolly out of the packaging. However, if you squeeze the calippo hard around the middle it does not move. Medical stockings … Continue reading »
   

Last month at the Venous Forum in London, Professor Martin Dennis presented the results of research showing that 1 in 5 people who have a stroke also develop a Deep Vein Thrombosis and that 1 in 10 stroke victims will have a pulmonary embolism (a clot which travels to the lungs). The study called CLOTS 3 also confirms that many of these DVTs can be prevented (up to a third).

IPC Device

As a result of this research, hospitals across England are preparing to receive … Continue reading »