When I meet with patients, it is fairly common for me to receive questions about numbness, tingling, pain, or cold feet. Restricted blood flow to the feet, caused by vein reflux, causes an inflammation response in the feet and legs which is the source of the symptoms. The result is feelings of numbness, tingling, and feet that feel colder than the rest of your body. While there are other medical conditions that can cause these symptoms, they are also fairly common indicators of the presence of a vein condition.
Watch the video below as I touch on what these symptoms can look like with those who suffer from a vein condition.
The key characteristic that suggests that numbness, tingling, and cold feet are due to a vein condition is when these symptoms occur. If you are dealing with these symptoms and the symptoms are occurring mostly at night or in the evening, it is highly likely they are the result of a vein condition. This is a finding that vein care specialists really are aware of - most other providers are not tuned into this pattern. It is characteristic for symptoms of a vein condition to worsen in the evening or at night. It's not uncommon for them to interfere with sleep, as the numbness, tingling, and pain in the feet can be uncomfortable enough to either prevent you from falling asleep or wake you up.
If these symptoms are more constant throughout the day, evening and night, they are likely caused by another underlying medical or a foot condition.
The good news is that if you are experiencing any or all of these symptoms, most patients experience dramatic improvement or resolution of their foot and leg symptoms, as well as fatigue, after vein treatment. A big surprise to people is that this condition is almost always associated with generalized fatigue, and this always improves or resolves completely as well after treatment. A free vein screening is the best option if you are experiencing these symptoms and want to rule out the possibility of a vein condition.