What Are Heavy Legs a Symptom Of? And Other Vein Disease FAQs

Do your legs feel heavy and swollen? Do you have a heavy feeling in your limbs? Do the symptoms of leg heaviness worsen at the end of the day or after long periods of sitting or standing still? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, there’s a strong chance that you have poor blood circulation in your legs because of vascular conditions, such as chronic venous insufficiency. Your legs may feel swollen and heavy when they don’t receive proper blood flow, leading to aching sensations.

Chronic venous insufficiency is usually the root cause of heavy feeling in limbs, especially if the symptoms worsen at night or after long periods of inactivity. Venous insufficiency is a medical condition caused by the collapse of vein valves. In healthy veins, the valves act as one-way doors that allow blood to flow to the heart against the force of gravity. When your vein valves malfunction, gravity forces blood to flow backward and accumulate in the leg veins. The lack of effective blood circulation in the legs leads to your legs feeling heavy and swollen.

You may wonder why the heavy feeling in your limbs primarily affects your legs and not your arms. Chronic venous insufficiency can also make your arms feel heavy and tired, but it usually affects the lower extremities of the body, such as the legs and thighs. That’s because the veins in your legs must work harder to carry blood to the heart, moving against the force of gravity. If you have weak blood circulation or weak vein valves, blood flows backward and accumulates in the leg veins.

New Jersey Vein Treatment is a group of vein treatment centers in New Jersey. We have state-of-the-art offices across New Jersey, including Paramus, Clifton, and Woodland Park. Our board-certified vein doctors always examine your leg veins, perform venous ultrasound scans to study your blood flow, and curate personalized vein treatment plans to restore optimal blood circulation to the heart, which alleviates the heavy feeling in your limbs. Please schedule an appointment for your vein treatment in New Jersey.

If your legs feel heavy and swollen, especially at the end of the day or after long periods of sitting or standing, you probably have poor blood circulation in your legs. Chronic venous insufficiency is usually the root cause of leg heaviness, especially if it’s accompanied by other symptoms of vein disease, such as restless leg syndrome, leg pain, leg cramps, and leg swelling. The good news is that leg heaviness is one of the early warning signs of vein disease, so you don’t need to worry about major complications for some time.

However, venous insufficiency is a chronic condition, so it will gradually worsen with time. If you don’t seek vein treatment for your legs feeling heavy and swollen, the symptoms will eventually escalate. Spider veins and varicose veins are the most visible signs of chronic venous insufficiency, which can make you feel self-conscious and anxious. You may also experience other long-term complications, such as skin discoloration, leg ulcers, and deep vein thrombosis. While there’s no need to panic about your legs feeling heavy and swollen, you should consult a vein doctor sooner rather than later.