If your legs feel achy, heavy, or tired at the end of the day, you might attribute it to overexertion or spending too much time on your feet. However, if you experience chronic leg fatigue that worsens throughout the day, it may be a sign of a serious underlying health condition, such as poor circulation caused by vein disease.
Understanding the connection between vein disease and symptoms such as fatigue and leg pain is key to knowing when to seek professional care. Early intervention can help relieve discomfort and reduce the risk of long-term complications and chronic leg fatigue. Let’s review how vein disease can cause chronic leg fatigue and how it differs from other causes.
What Is Vein Disease and How Does It Affect Your Body?
Vein disease happens when the valves in the leg veins become weak or damaged. These valves typically help blood flow back toward the heart, but when they don’t work correctly, blood pools in the lower legs, increasing pressure within the veins.
One common form of vein disease is chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). With CVI, poor valve function leads to long-term blood pooling and elevated venous pressure. This pressure buildup can result in symptoms like swelling, cramping, and leg fatigue.
What Does Venous Insufficiency Feel Like?
Visible varicose veins are often one of the first signs of poor circulation caused by chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). As the condition progresses, you may also experience:
- Heavy, aching legs, especially after standing or sitting for long periods
- Tiredness or restlessness when standing or walking for extended periods
- Cramping or weakness after sitting or standing too long
Left untreated, CVI can progress, worsening symptoms that may impact daily comfort and mobility.
Can Venous Insufficiency Cause Leg Fatigue?
Leg fatigue is a common symptom that begins in the earliest stages of chronic venous insufficiency. However, unlike general tiredness, this fatigue tends to worsen throughout the day, making routine activities difficult.
How Venous Insufficiency Causes Fatigued Legs
When blood pools in the lower legs due to chronic venous insufficiency, it reduces oxygen delivery to the muscles, leading to muscle fatigue and discomfort. Additionally, the pressure and inflammation from poor circulation contribute to swelling and a heavy, achy sensation in the legs.
Other causes of leg fatigue include:
- Excessive exercise without adequate rest
- Certain medications like diuretics, antihistamines, and antidepressants
- Prolonged sitting or standing
- Hormone changes and increased blood volume from pregnancy
- Extra weight from conditions like obesity puts added pressure on the legs, contributing to discomfort and fatigue.
How to Tell the Difference Between Normal Fatigue and Chronic Leg Fatigue
Feeling tired after a long day is normal, but this fatigue typically subsides with rest. In contrast, chronic leg fatigue caused by vein disease tends to:
- Persist over time, getting worse instead of better.
- Include other symptoms like swelling, itching, cramping, or visible varicose veins in the legs.
- Causes skin changes, such as discoloration or thickening.
Additional Symptoms That May Point to Vein Disease
- Swelling in the ankles or calves
- Burning or itching sensations near visible veins
- Restlessness in the legs at night
- Discoloration or texture changes on the skin
- Open sores or non-healing wounds (ulcers) near the ankles
If you are unsure that your symptoms are related to vein disease, take our symptoms quiz to determine if you need to see a vein specialist.
How Leg Fatigue from Vein Disease Impacts Daily Life
Over time, vein disease can do more than cause leg fatigue—it can affect your mobility, daily activities, and overall well-being. As symptoms progress, many people reduce their physical activity, which can further worsen circulation and discomfort.
Leg fatigue may interfere with:
- Work routines can be challenging when fatigue makes long shifts harder to manage, especially in standing jobs.
- Daily movement, including walking, exercise, or staying physically active.
- Sleep quality, as leg cramping or restlessness, may disrupt rest.
Leg weakness and fatigue can make simple, everyday activities, such as climbing stairs, more difficult and overwhelming. Many people notice that their symptoms worsen after standing or sitting for long hours at work.
When to Seek Help for Fatigued Legs and Circulation Issues
If leg fatigue is significantly interfering with your daily life, it’s important not to ignore it. Persistent symptoms, such as swelling, heaviness, visible veins, or skin changes, may indicate chronic venous insufficiency.
USA Vein Clinics offers a range of non-surgical solutions that target vein disease, improving circulation and providing long-term relief from tired legs, swelling, pain, and other symptoms.
Treatments for Leg Fatigue Caused by Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)
These FDA-approved, minimally invasive treatments close damaged veins and restore healthy blood flow, without the need for surgery. All our vein treatments are performed in outpatient clinics, require minimal recovery time, and are covered by most insurance plans.
Our outpatient, non-surgical vein treatments include:
- Endovenous Laser Therapy (EVLT)
- Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy
- Visual sclerotherapy
- ClariVein®
- Varithena®
- VenaSeal™
- Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
Our specialists will work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan designed to reduce symptoms and support long-term vein health.
Get Relief from Leg Fatigue with USA Vein Clinics
Chronic leg fatigue can make everyday activities more difficult, but it doesn’t have to be that way. USA Vein Clinics offers expert care at convenient locations nationwide, and our team of vein experts specializes in minimally invasive procedures to directly treat chronic venous insufficiency. Schedule a consultation today and take the next step to relieve leg fatigue and pain.
FAQs about Fatigue and Pain in the Legs
Can circulation problems cause leg fatigue even without varicose veins?
Circulation issues such as chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), blood clots, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and peripheral artery disease (PAD) can cause leg fatigue, even without visible varicose veins.
Is leg fatigue linked to other chronic conditions?
Leg fatigue can be linked with a variety of chronic health conditions, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, diabetes, and anemia, as well as poor circulation, vein disease, and hypothyroidism. If any fatigue and pain in the legs persists or worsens, visit a health professional to identify and address the underlying cause.
Can lifestyle changes improve leg fatigue from vein disease?
Lifestyle changes may offer temporary symptom relief, but they do not treat the underlying cause of vein disease. While regular physical activity, leg elevation, and compression stockings can support circulation and reduce discomfort, medical treatment is often necessary to alleviate the symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency in the long term.
