What are Venous Insufficiency and Venous Ulcers?
The vascular system can be described as a vast network of blood vessels leading to and from the heart. Nutrient- and oxygen-rich blood is transported throughout the body by the arteries, and is then carried back to the heart via the veins. While blood-flow through arteries is assisted by force created from the pumping of the heart, this force is much lower in the veins. Additionally, particularly in the legs, blood-flow in the veins must progress upwards, against the force of gravity. To overcome these difficulties, the veins contain a series of specialized one-way valves that open to allow the blood to flow upwards, and then shut to keep the blood from flowing back downwards towards the feet. Venous insufficiency is a chronic condition in which blood does not flow normally through the veins from the feet back up towards the heart. Venous insufficiency occurs because the valves are damaged, allowing blood to leak backwards and stagnate (pool) in the veins of the lower legs. This in tur
