Do your ankles feel puffy or tight?

By Dr. Sonja Stiller, Center for Advanced Vein Care

If you’re suffering from edema or leg swelling (or your ankles seem puffy or tight), you may have an underlying venous health issue causing inflammation.

That’s right, inflammation leads to swelling.

One common cause of inflammation is varicose veins, which may or may not be visible on the surface of the skin. If you are experiencing leg swelling and see visible symptoms such as bulging veins, spider veins, or skin redness, then there is an even greater reason for concern.

The good news is, now is the absolute best time to start treatment, which brings with it a compression stocking requirement dictated by insurance companies. Starting now means you can satisfy your compression requirement in the cool of the fall and winter. And because treatment takes time, starting now also means you’ll have healthier legs next year so you can have an active summer of 2024.

We’re a bunch of cheerleaders for our patients, so rather than seeing you hibernate for another winter, we want to help you keep moving and get in the best condition possible so next year you’ll be able to enjoy hiking, walks on the beach, day-long visits to Cedar Point, and keeping up with your children or grandchildren.

You can be on your way to healthy legs right now by giving our office a call, especially if you are suffering from any of the following symptoms: leg pain • swelling • heaviness • fatigue • itching or burning • inflammation • skin discoloration • restless legs syndrome.

Dr. Sonja Stiller is a diplomat of both the American Board of Emergency Medicine and the American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine and the UIP 2023 Lead Chair for Scientific Abstracts. She is the founder of the Center for Advanced Vein Care, a Tier 1 provider with Lake Health Hospital System. The center’s offices are at 7200 Mentor Avenue, in Mentor. For an appointment, call 440-710-1140. More info can be found at YourHealthyVeins.com.