Agonising varicose vein gave me itchy restless legs and a lump in my groin, but NHS doctors said it was 'just a cosmetic issue'. Here's the treatment that's helped me walk comfortably again

Published: 01:00, 14 July 2026 | Updated: 01:00, 14 July 2026 What started as a slightly protruding varicose vein in Michelle Green’s left leg was, within a year, causing such severe cramping pain that she struggled to walk. ‘Standing or even sitting for any length of time made the pain worse and so did walking,’ says Michelle, 47, a credit controller, who lives in Bury, Greater Manchester, with husband Rob, 40, a service engineer, and their two children aged 11 and eight. ‘But I still tried to walk as I needed to exercise. Being in so much discomfort really got me down.’ As well as the cramping pain, Michelle found her leg was unbearably itchy at night and she also developed restless legs – a condition which causes an irresistible urge to move your legs – making sleep difficult. In 2023, two years after her troublesome vein started to protrude, her left ankle began to swell and the foot became a mottled red colour. Fearing her mobility might suffer further, she asked her GP for help. But she was advised to elevate the leg ‘and to basically just get on with it’, says Michelle – who tried creams for the itching and took paracetamol and ibuprofen for the discomfort. ‘But nothing eased the pain and swelling,’ she adds. Then, a year later, a golf-ball sized lump appeared in Michelle’s groin virtually overnight and, fearing it was cancer, she went back to her GP – who referred her for a scan. Michelle was amazed to be told the aching mass was an extension of her varicose vein. Michelle Green was told her varicose vein was just a cosmetic issue and that she had to wait until she had an ulcer, which could lead to infections and other problems ‘It never occurred to me – and they were also so far apart,’ says Michelle. She hoped this would at least open the door to treatment. Yet to her horror the NHS vascular team she was then referred to said she’d need to wait until her varicose veins had become ulcerated to qualify for NHS treatment. ‘I was told the varicose vein was “just a cosmetic issue” and I had to wait until I had an ulcer, which could lead to infections and other problems,’ says Michelle. ‘I was so frustrated and angry – the varicose vein was already affecting my daily life and clearly causing significant problems.’ Michelle’s experience is not uncommon. Experts warn that NHS treatment for varicose veins is hard to come by – even in those with badly-affected veins, and even despite the links that have emerged between varicose veins and other health complaints. Up to 40 per cent of adults – and more than 60 per cent of the over-75s – develop varicose veins in their lifetime. They occur when valves inside the veins become faulty, often due to genes affecting vein development, but factors such as being overweight or standing for long periods (which both increase pressure in the veins) and smoking (which damages the lining of the veins) can make them worse. Normally, valves in veins open so blood can travel up to the heart – and then close to stop that blood from draining backwards towards the feet. But if the valves become damaged or weak, blood pools, increasing the pressure on blood vessel walls, resulting in knobbly, bulging veins with a dark blue or purple appearance. In the early stages, long before any discolouration, they may lead to restless legs and itching at night, says Nung Rudarakanchana, a consultant vascular surgeon at London North West University Healthcare Trust and the Vein Centre clinic. That’s because increased pressure in veins from blood pooling in the legs can irritate nerves and muscles, which can lead to restless legs and cramps. Itching occurs due to inflammation of the skin. Some patients may go on to develop a bulge in the groin – this occurs when the valve between the two vein trunks in the leg fails, causing extra pressure at the top end of one vein, making it stretch and swell. Left untreated, some varicose veins will develop into a leg ulcer, says Stephen Black, a professor of venous surgery at King’s College London, and a vascular surgeon at the private UK Vein Clinic. As he explains, if the blood leaks back through a faulty valve, it pools around the ankle, creating pressure, which stretches the skin, making it more fragile. ‘Once the skin breaks it becomes very hard for it to heal because the skin is so stretched,’ says Ms Rudarakanchana. ‘Then the ulcer can become infected – and it becomes chronic. ‘It’s frustrating to still see patients suffering with venous ulcers unnecessarily as we know that treating the affected veins reduces the risk of ulceration.’ Many NHS trusts, however, dismiss varicose veins as a cosmetic issue until ulcers occur. But these ulcers are ‘hugely expensive to treat’, says Professor Black, as they involve wound care, regular dressing by district nurses, numerous hospital visits, antibiotics and treatment of the underlying vein problems – which can go on for months. Nung Rudarakanchana, a consultant vascular surgeon at London North West University Healthcare Trust and the Vein Centre clinic, says that once the skin breaks it becomes very hard for it to heal ‘And many people are only referred for care after they have had ulcers for a long time,’ he told Good Health. He adds: ‘They can destroy someone’s quality of life and, because they are open wounds, they can lead to other complications including repeated infections and even sepsis [a life-threatening condition where the body overreacts to an infection, attacking its own tissues and organs].’ Wound infections can also smell significantly, making it embarrassing for patients, he adds. Alongside that, research is increasingly linking having varicose veins with an increased risk of other serious conditions including heart failure and ischemic stroke (caused by a clot blocking a blood vessel in the brain). ‘We know that inflammatory chemicals are higher in people with varicose veins,’ says Ms Rudarakanchana. It is thought that inflammation might develop in the soft tissue of the lower leg due to the pooling of blood – and ultimately this may start to spread around the body, potentially leading to the development of blood clots because inflammatory proteins ‘thicken the blood’, says Professor Mark Whiteley, a venous surgeon and founder of the Whiteley Clinic. In fact, people with varicose veins are more at risk of dementia and cognitive decline, according to a 2025 study published in PLOS One. The researchers, from South Korea, who tracked nearly 400,000 participants for 13 years, concluded that the chronic inflammation and disruptions in blood flow which occur with varicose veins can harm the health of the brain. Crucially, treating varicose veins was significantly associated with a reduced risk of vascular dementia, they found (although not all experts are convinced by the link). Despite such apparent risks, the NHS often appears reluctant to offer treatment – even in cases where the official guidance suggests it should. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says anyone whose saphenous vein (the major vein that returns blood from the legs to the heart) is affected – causing symptoms such as pain, swelling and itching (as was the case with Michelle) – should be offered treatment. This typically involves endovenous ablation (using laser or radiofrequency energy to destroy the veins) or foam sclerotherapy (when a chemical is injected into the affected veins to eliminate them). Many NHS trusts simply don’t offer treatment, however. ‘We’re constantly fighting to get the NHS to recognise the importance of treating varicose veins in the way that NICE has outlined and to understand that they’re not just a cosmetic problem,’ says Professor Black. Little wonder then that the number of people paying for private treatment for varicose veins has risen significantly. The number of private endovenous ablations was up by 38 per cent, from 5,300 in 2019 to 7,300 in 2023-24, according to data from the Private Healthcare Information Network. But for many, the treatment – which can start at £2,500 for one leg – is not a viable option. Michelle could not afford private treatment and the only thing on offer for her from the NHS was compression stockings (which work by reducing the back-flow of blood) and exercise. ‘I’d tried those already and they hadn’t helped,’ she says. With her leg becoming more and more painful, Michelle’s father offered to pay for private treatment. She had endovenous laser ablation in July 2024 at a cost of £2,600, and wore compression stockings for six weeks afterwards to hold the vein closed while it healed. At her six-week check-up she also had foam sclerotherapy to target smaller veins which were also affected. ‘I was fortunate that my dad paid,’ says Michelle. ‘Many people can’t afford it and are forced to just wait until it gets worse, which seems very unfair.’ Both the protruding vein and the lump in her groin have completely disappeared, along with the itching and pain. She says: ‘The impact on my life has been amazing – I can now be more active with my children and can wear anything I want. ‘It’s good to simply be able to stretch out my legs without being in pain.’