Aching, swelling, heaviness, and bulging veins may be signs that blood is not flowing properly back to your heart.
Varicose veins can develop when the valves inside your leg veins weaken and cause blood to flow backward and pool. Over time, this can lead to Chronic Venous Insufficiency, or CVI, causing swelling, discomfort, skin changes, and even venous ulcers in more advanced cases.
A common sign of chronic venous problems.
Of U.S. adults age 65+ have venous ulcers.
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Healthy valves help push blood upward toward the heart.
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Damaged valves allow some blood to flow backward.
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Pressure builds inside the vein, causing it to stretch and enlarge.
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Ongoing pressure can lead to swelling, skin changes, and venous ulcers.
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Controlled radiofrequency energy closes the diseased vein & redirects blood through healthier veins.
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Medical foam is precisely injected into affected veins using live ultrasound guidance.
Heavy or tired legs, especially after standing.
Swelling in the lower legs or ankles, often worse later in the day.
Aching, burning, or throbbing discomfort in the legs.
Visible, enlarged, or twisted varicose veins.
Reddish-brown discoloration, itching, or thickened skin near the ankles.
Slow-healing sores, usually around the lower leg or ankle.
No. Varicose veins may be cosmetic for some people, but they can also be associated with Chronic Venous Insufficiency. Symptoms can include aching, swelling, heaviness, skin changes, and ulcers in more advanced disease.
Veins contain one-way valves that help return blood toward the heart. When these valves weaken or become damaged, blood can flow backward and pool in the legs, causing pressure inside the veins to rise.
CVI occurs when the veins in your legs cannot efficiently return blood toward the heart. This leads to increased pressure and blood pooling in the legs and can cause swelling, skin changes, varicose veins, or venous ulcers.
The right treatment depends on which veins are affected, their size and location, your symptoms, and ultrasound findings.
HVLC offers several treatments, including RFA, VenaSeal, Varithena, foam sclerotherapy, phlebectomy, and MOCA.
Blood naturally reroutes through other healthy veins that can return it toward the heart. This is the principle behind treatments such as RFA and foam sclerotherapy.
Medicare and other insurance plans may cover vein treatment when it is considered medically necessary. Coverage varies based on symptoms, ultrasound findings, previous conservative treatment, and plan requirements.
Our team can verify your benefits before treatment.
Call 661-324-4100 to check your coverage.
Knee Pain & GAE
Most people with chronic knee or joint pain have quietly learned to live with it. A vascular specialist in Bakersfield explains why that is worth reconsidering this Pain Awareness Month.
Heart & Vascular Health, PAD & Circulation
When someone gets a high cholesterol result, the conversation almost always goes the same direction: heart disease risk, statins, diet changes, and keeping an eye on blood pressure. All of that is appropriate. But there is something consistently missing from that conversation. The same cholesterol buildup that narrows the arteries near your heart does the exact same thing to the arteries supplying your legs. And for a lot of patients managing high cholesterol, nobody has told them that.
Heart & Vascular Health, PAD & Circulation
September is Vascular Disease Awareness Month and PAD Awareness Month. Here is why that matters specifically for patients in Bakersfield and Kern County, and what a free vascular screening can tell you.
Knee Pain & GAE
Knee Pain at Night: Why It Gets Worse When You Stop Moving and What It Could Mean Most people expect joint pain to get worse during activity. Push it too hard, feel it afterward. That logic makes sense. So when knee pain is worst at night, when you are lying still, not putting any weight on it, not doing anything at all, it catches people off guard. Some assume they slept in a bad position. Others take a painkiller and try to push through. What fewer people know is that nighttime knee pain has a specific meaning. It is not random. It is telling you something about what is driving the pain, and it points directly toward a mechanism that standard treatments often miss.
Heart & Vascular Health, PAD & Circulation
What Happens to Your Legs When You Sit All Day. And Why It Matters More Than You Think sitting all day effects on leg circulation poor circulation vascular health Bakersfield Most people know that sitting too much is not great for them. They have heard it enough times. But the conversation usually stays vague, centered around back pain, posture, or burning calories. What gets far less attention is what prolonged sitting does specifically to the blood flow in your legs. And for a significant number of people, particularly those with diabetes, high blood pressure, or a family history of heart disease, the effects are not just discomfort. They are the early stages of a real vascular problem.
PAD & Circulation
Your Heart Gets a Lot of Attention. Your Leg Arteries Deserve the Same
chronic knee pain management vs treatment what actually helps HVLC Bakersfield
Every February, American Heart Month reminds people to take care of their arteries, watch their cholesterol, check their blood pressure, and protect their cardiovascular health.
Vein Disease & DVT
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a circulatory system problem that occurs in the deep veins of your legs. Anyone who’s developed any stage of vein disease is at risk for developing this potentially life-threatening condition, but knowing your risks will help you get medical treatment at the first sign of trouble.
Knee Pain & GAE
Arthritis Is Not Just About Your Joints. Here Is Why Your Blood Vessels Matter Too And most of the conversation this month follows the same familiar path: cartilage breakdown, joint wear, inflammation, medication, physiotherapy, and eventually surgery.
PAD & Circulation
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a circulatory system problem that occurs in the deep veins of your legs. Anyone who’s developed any stage of vein disease is at risk for developing this potentially life-threatening condition, but knowing your risks will help you get medical treatment at the first sign of trouble.
PAD & Circulation
If your days involve long hours of sitting at a desk or standing on your feet, your legs may be working overtime to keep blood moving. The good news? You don’t need a gym session—or much time—to support healthy circulation. A few simple stretches, like calf raises and ankle circles, can make a noticeable difference in just minutes.
Knee Pain & GAE
GAE vs. Knee Replacement: Understanding Where Genicular Artery Embolization Fits
Not Every Patient With Knee Arthritis Is Ready for Surgery Knee osteoarthritis can progress slowly over years. Some patients manage symptoms with exercise, medication, injections, weight loss, bracing, or physical therapy. Others eventually reach a point where knee replacement becomes the best option.
Knee Pain & GAE
Being told your knee is bone on bone does not automatically mean surgery is your only option. A vascular specialist in Bakersfield explains what it really means and what else may help.
Knee Pain & GAE
Tried cortisone shots, physio, and injections but your knee pain is still not gone? You may be missing the real source of the problem. Learn about Genicular Artery Embolization, now available in Bakersfield.
Diabetic Foot, Wounds & Limb Preservation
Diabetes quietly damages the arteries in your legs before any pain appears. Learn why diabetics in Kern County are at higher risk for PAD, and what a simple vascular check can tell you.
PAD & Circulation
If you've been told surgery is your only option for knee pain, there may be a step worth exploring first. A minimally invasive procedure targeting inflammation is now available in Bakersfield.
PAD & Circulation
Your Heart Gets a Lot of Attention. Your Leg Arteries Deserve the Same
chronic knee pain management vs treatment what actually helps HVLC Bakersfield
Every February, American Heart Month reminds people to take care of their arteries, watch their cholesterol, check their blood pressure, and protect their cardiovascular health.
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5020 Commerce Dr, Bakersfield, CA 93309
Advanced minimally invasive treatments for knee pain, joint pain poor circulation, vein disease and chronic pain.
Helping patients find relief without major surgery.
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