Varicose Vein Treatment for Riverdale, NJ

Down the Turnpike from Riverdale

From Riverdale, the Newark-Pompton Turnpike — County Route 511 Alternate — leads to Jacksonville Road, which runs on into Towaco. Montville Pain & Veins is at 624 Main Road, Suite 2B, about seven miles from the borough and roughly 11 minutes away when the roads are clear.

What varicose veins are telling you

Leg veins move blood uphill to the heart through a ladder of one-way valves. When one of those valves stops closing, blood falls back and pools beneath it, and the stretched vein becomes the twisted, raised cord you can see. The visible vein is the result; the failed valve, usually further up the leg, is the cause.

Pressure left in place does more than stretch veins. Over months and years it pushes fluid out into the surrounding tissue, then stains the skin around the ankle brown, then leaves it dry, itchy, thickened and tight. In some people that fragile skin eventually breaks down into a venous ulcer, which is far harder to heal than the reflux behind it.

Who is most likely to have it

The risk climbs with:

• age, and a family history of vein trouble
• pregnancy
• a previous deep vein thrombosis
• work that keeps you on your feet, or sitting without moving, for hours — teaching, nursing, hairdressing, driving

Aching, swelling and night cramps tend to get blamed on age or a long day, and sometimes that is right. But swelling that is reliably worse at night and better by morning, and worse in one leg than the other, is a vein pattern worth checking.

From scan to treatment

A standing duplex ultrasound shows which veins reflux and how far the problem reaches. The failing vein is then closed in the office: radiofrequency ablation for a straight run, Varithena foam where the vein twists, and sclerotherapy for small branches. There is no general anaesthetic, no hospital stay and no vein stripping, which Dr. Donna D’Alessio does not perform. Compression stockings start as soon as the problem is found; they hold the leg steady while a plan is made, but they do nothing to repair the valve.

Riverdale patients ask

What gets better first after treatment? The swelling and heaviness, often within weeks, because the pressure drops as soon as the vein is closed. Staining that has been there for years fades slowly and may never clear completely — one more reason not to wait.

Will insurance cover it? Varicose veins caused by reflux are a medical problem, and most plans cover treatment once symptoms and the ultrasound support it. We verify your benefits before scheduling; see insurance and fees.

Are varicose veins dangerous? Most are not. Sudden pain, redness and warmth over a vein is different and should be seen promptly, because it can mean a clot.

More about varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency, or the same care for neighbouring Butler.