Venous Oedema

What is Venous Oedema?
Venous oedema, which is sometimes confused with lymphoedema, is a swelling of the legs caused by a malfunction or obstruction of veins, not lymphatic vessels. It is a common chronic condition, particularly in those of advancing years. It is characterised by lower leg oedema, heaviness, tightness, aching and discomfort, all of which are relieved, to some extent, by elevation. This oedema is called venous oedema.

With increasing age and other factors such as being overweight, chronic heart failure, hypertension, pregnancy, deep vein thrombosis or an excessive amount of standing, great strain is placed on the leg veins by the resultant high gravitational forces causing them to dilate. This results in "pooling" of blood in the calves. As the condition progresses, the lymphatic drainage from the legs becomes overloaded and the condition of the skin deteriorates. It becomes pigmented, dry, fragile, easily breaking down and becoming infected, leading to ulceration.

What is the Treatment of Venous Oedema?
Vascular surgery does not always provide long term relief for venous oedema. However, compression therapy has been shown to be effective in improving venous and lymphatic drainage from lower limbs, as well as keeping oedema under control.

Mild to moderate oedema is treated by fitting low to medium compression calf stockings or socks.

Moderate to severe oedema may require multi-layer bandaging for a few days to reduce the oedema before fitting stockings or socks.