Black or Blue Shaped Hard Pea Shaped Lump on Shin Bone
What's that Hard Lump on Your Varicose Vein?
March 3, 2020 • Our Blog • Varicose Veins • Vein Treatment
A common side effect of varicose veins is phlebitis, a small bump that grows from the protruding vein. But don't worry — it's not a serious medical condition.
Along with pain, cramping, and swelling, patients with varicose veins may experience a hard lump popping up on a vein. Although this abnormal growth can certainly be alarming, there's no need to worry. Though painful, the bulge on your leg isn't a serious medical condition. In all likelihood, the lump is phlebitis, or a blood clot that forms in a superficial leg vein.
Blood clots in the leg develop within either the superficial veins or the deep veins. If you have varicose veins, you're more likely to develop phlebitis because a backup of blood in the vein inflames the vein wall, resulting in a painful bump. The good news is, phlebitis usually dissipates within weeks and any discomfort can be alleviated by at-home treatments.
What Phlebitis Is — and Isn't
Phlebitis refers to an inflammation of the vein wall that causes the blood to clot. It's characterized chiefly by pain, swelling, and red-colored skin around the lump. Varicose veins increase your chance of developing phlebitis, but there are other risk factors, as well. An injury to a vein, an inherited blood clotting disorder, or inactivity due to a long hospital stay can cause phlebitis.
Because phlebitis reddens the skin, you may misdiagnose the condition as cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection. But phlebitis is not caused by an infection and therefore isn't treated with antibiotics. Nevertheless, you should visit a vein specialist to rule out the possibility the lump isn't due to a more serious condition, such as cellulitis or deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
DVT is also a blood clot, but one that forms in the deep veins of the leg. Both DVT and phlebitis exhibit similar symptoms — tender, discolored skin, for instance — but DVT is marked by swelling over a larger area of the leg, not the localized swelling seen in phlebitis.
Though the odds are low, phlebitis could potentially lead to DVT if the clot travels from a superficial vein to a deeper vein. The chances of that happening increase if the superficial clot develops in areas of the leg where superficial veins sit closer to deep veins, namely, the upper thigh or groin, or behind the knee.
DVT is a serious condition that warrants immediate medical attention to prevent the clot from breaking away and traveling to the lungs. A lung clot, or pulmonary embolism, can potentially lead to death if left untreated. Chest pain, dizziness, and a bloody cough are all signs of a pulmonary embolism.
Detecting Phlebitis
To determine whether the lump is phlebitis or DVT, a vein specialist will have you undergo an ultrasound. For this test, a hand-held wand smoothed over the skin sends out sound waves that create an image of your leg tissue. The picture will show whether the clot is lodged in a superficial vein or a deep vein. A blood test to detect the presence of D dimer, a substance produced by the body to dissolve clots, may also be performed. An elevated level of D dimer could indicate a clot is present in the leg.
To treat phlebitis, your doctor will prescribe several at-home remedies to reduce pain and swelling while the lump diminishes. These would include taking anti-inflammatory medications, applying warm compresses to the leg, and elevating your leg a few times each day. Wearing compression stockings is also recommended for the treatment of phlebitis.
If the diagnosis is DVT, your doctor will put you on a regimen of blood thinners or clot-busting medications. Individuals unable to tolerate blood thinners can have a filter placed in their main abdominal vein (the vena cava) to catch any clots before they reach the lungs.
We Treat Varicose Veins
The physicians at Tri City Vein Center can perform several procedures that eliminate varicose veins, and, in turn, decrease your chance of developing phlebitis. Using the latest diagnostic and treatment techniques, we'll free you from the discomfort and unsightly appearance of varicose veins. We also assess your DVT risk. Contact us today for an appointment.
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Source: https://tricityveincenter.com/whats-that-hard-lump-on-your-varicose-vein/
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