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Bob renno
Gym climber
san francisco
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 26, 2015 - 09:28am PT
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Hello Everyone!
I recently started climbing and absolutely love it, but something unsettling occurred a week ago and I am reaching out to see if this has happened to anyone else or if anyone on here has some practical advice for me.
I've always had problematic veins and when I was on belay I felt a weird sensation in my left leg towards the right of my knee (the spot where my veins always get swollen after long periods of working/standing). I pulled up my pants and it looked like my veins had burst under my skin! Needless to say, I was pretty freaked out. I went to urgent care upon the advice of a nurse to make sure it was nothing serious -- i.e. no blood clots, etc. That seemed like a waste of time because all they did was poke my skin and say it should probably go away. I went to a vein expert yesterday and he said I have venous insufficiency and it could be treated with endovenous laser therapy, but it would cost $3900! I have public insurance right now and he said it wouldn't be covered through that because my veins aren't varicose enough. I am 30 years old and in good health.
What I'm wondering is if anyone has dealt with this problem? Does anyone wear thigh-high compression stockings while climbing? Has anyone been dealing with the development of varicose veins while climbing up walls and boulders? I'd be very grateful for any feedback! Thank you so much for reading this long post! Happy climbing!
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Cracko
Trad climber
Quartz Hill, California
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Feb 26, 2015 - 11:41am PT
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Bob,
Was diagnosed with CVI (Chronic Venous Insufficiency) in 1983 after recovering from viral encephalitus where I developed blood clots in my legs and a pulmonary embolism. I've been wearing knee high Jobst pressure gradient stockings ever since. Also been climbing ever since including several walls and lots of alpine climbing. Recently found out I have a genetic predisposition to clotting so I'm on coumadin/warfarin for life. Age has slowed me down more than venous insufficiency. Best of luck to you.
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kk1982
Trad climber
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Feb 26, 2015 - 11:51am PT
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I have a gnarly VV on my right calf, has gotten bigger over the years. When I had it looked at they did an ultrasound and found that my saphenous vein (the main superficial vein that drains blood from your legs back towards the heart) had a smaller than normal diameter. Because the vein is smaller, it takes longer for blood to leave my legs. This increases the pressure in these superficial (closer to surface) veins that already naturally have a tendency to become varicose. Combine that with the tourniquets that harnesses create on hanging belays, etc. and you have a perfect storm for varicosities to form. The doctor told me that if the ultrasound showed that the valves in my veins were faulty (a valve is an anatomical feature in the vein that prevents the back flow of blood) surgery would be an option. His suggestions: 1. Wear compression stockings and don't worry about it. 2. If you want to, take an Aspirin a day to help prevent possible clot formation (slow-moving/stagnant blood in tortuous veins= higher clot risk)
If you're particularly vain (bad pun) or a leg model perhaps, you can probably get surgery to remove unsightly veins, but you're risking scaring, possible nerve pain, and the likely hood of new varicosities forming.
My strategy has been to wear tube socks with good even support as much as possible and try not to think about it too much. Cheers.
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