What happens when the valves in the veins are incompetent?

What happens when the valves in the veins are incompetent?

Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when your leg veins don’t allow blood to flow back up to your heart. Normally, the valves in your veins make sure that blood flows toward your heart. But when these valves don’t work well, blood can also flow backwards. This can cause blood to collect (pool) in your legs.

What is an incompetent vein?

Venous insufficiency is a condition in which veins are not able to pump blood back to the heart. This causes blood to pool in the blood vessels so that they become enlarged or varicose over time.

What is related to incompetent valves?

With long-term (chronic) venous insufficiency, vein walls are weakened and valves are damaged. This causes the veins to stay filled with blood, especially when you are standing. Chronic venous insufficiency is a long-term condition. It is most commonly due to malfunctioning (incompetent) valves in the veins.

What causes vein valve failure?

The most common causes of venous insufficiency are previous cases of blood clots and varicose veins. When forward flow through the veins is obstructed — such as in the case of a blood clot — blood builds up below the clot, which can lead to venous insufficiency.

What happens when the valves of the veins of the lower extremity do not close completely?

When the valves do not work properly, blood will flow back into the veins instead of forward to the heart. This causes blood to pool in the veins, often in the legs and feet. This results in many of the symptoms associated with venous insufficiency, such as skin discoloration, swelling, and pain.

What is a venous valve?

Venous valves typically consist of two elastic flaps of tissue that open and close in alternation. Venous valves work in conjunction with the musculoskeletal system. Muscles constantly contract and release, causing the blood to flow toward the heart.

What is Saphenofemoral valve incompetence?

Junctional high-pressure disease most often results from failure of the primary valve at the junction between the GSV and the common femoral vein at the groin (saphenofemoral junction). Vein incompetence then proceeds distally from the groin, and patients perceive that a large vein is growing down their leg.

What veins have valves?

Most veins contain valves (known as the valvula venosa in the TA) to prevent backflow, i.e. ensuring that blood flow is always towards the heart 1. Recent evidence shows that veins that were previously thought to be valveless, are now known to have valves, including the facial and superior ophthalmic veins 2.

What is the function of the valves in veins in the legs?

In your veins there are one-way valves that are placed about one inch apart that keep blood flowing in the right direction. When your leg muscles relax, the valves inside your veins close preventing the backward flow of blood back down the legs.

What is the function of valves found in veins?

The one-way valves in deep veins prevent blood from flowing backward, and the muscles surrounding the deep veins compress them, helping force the blood toward the heart, just as squeezing a toothpaste tube ejects toothpaste.

How do valves in the veins work?

Deoxygenated blood is pumped through a series of veins and venous valves. As the leg muscles are activated (contract) the valves in the veins open to allow blood to flow back towards the heart. Each valve has two opposed flaps that act like gates opening in one direction stopping blood from moving back down the leg.

What happens when valves in veins do not work?

When valves in veins fail to work properly, the valves do not close and blood is allowed to flow backward in the wrong direction. Over time, the blood can pool within your legs which can consequently cause more vein valves to malfunction. What happens when vein valves don’t work?

Why do blood vessels have valves in them?

The main function of the valves in veins is to prevent back flow of blood. Blood in the arteries, after being pumped by the heart, are under much higher pressure than blood in veins so there is no need for valves in arteries to prevent back flow.

Where are the valves located in the veins?

In order to do this, when you walk, your leg muscles squeeze the deep veins of your legs and feet pushing the non-oxygenated blood back to the heart. In your veins there are one-way valves that are placed about one inch apart that keep blood flowing in the right direction.

Why do veins have only one direction of flow?

Veins need valves to keep blood flowing in one direction because the flow is less constant; the flow in arteries is constant and requires artery walls to be more flexible and strong enough to accommodate the high pressures.