What We Treat
Almost all of it is done in a treatment room under local anaesthetic, and most of it is covered when it's symptomatic.
Twelve Years of Legs
Larkspur is a single-specialty practice on Wornall Road. We treat veins, and we don't treat anything else.
The reason that matters is diagnostic. Aching, swollen, heavy legs get attributed to age, weight, standing at work and a dozen other things every day in general practice, and a scan that takes twenty minutes settles the question. We do a great many of those scans, which is why we're comfortable telling people their symptoms are not venous — roughly one in six screenings ends that way, with a letter back to their physician and no treatment sold.
We also do our own insurance work. Benefits are checked and authorisation is obtained before your treatment date, because the most common reason people delay this for years is a fear of the bill rather than a fear of the needle.
- ✓Veins only — 12 years, one specialty
- ✓Board-certified vascular surgeon on site
- ✓Every plan starts with a duplex ultrasound
- ✓Benefits checked and authorised before your date
Six Reasons People Finally Come In
Most of our patients waited years. Almost all of them say afterwards that they wish they hadn't.
Aching, Heavy Legs by Evening
Worse after standing, better with the legs up. The single most common symptom and the one most often blamed on something else.
Bulging, Ropey Veins
Visible varicose veins that have grown over the years. Treatable in a single appointment in most cases.
Swelling Around the Ankles
Sock marks at the end of the day. Often venous, occasionally cardiac or lymphatic — which is exactly why it gets scanned.
Itching or Burning Skin
Especially on the inside of the lower leg. Frequently the first sign of skin damage from long-standing venous pressure.
Darkening Skin or an Open Sore
Brown staining above the ankle, or a wound that won't close. This one shouldn't wait — it's the stage we'd rather catch earlier.
Restless, Twitchy Legs at Night
Not always venous, but common enough to be worth one scan instead of another year of wondering.
Scan, Authorise, Treat, Review
Four visits, none of them longer than an hour, and no night in a hospital at any point.
Screening & Ultrasound
Twenty minutes of scanning while you stand, with the screen turned towards you. You'll see which veins are refluxing and which are fine before anything is discussed.
Insurance & Authorisation
We check your benefits, submit the authorisation, and tell you your actual out-of-pocket figure. If compression is required first, we'll start that clock straight away.
Treatment Day
Ablation takes about forty-five minutes under local anaesthetic. You walk out, you walk that evening, and most people are back at work the next morning.
Follow-Up Scan
A repeat ultrasound at two to four weeks to confirm the vein has closed properly, and a plan for anything remaining. Usually the last time we need to see you.
Four Things Worth Knowing
Two of them are reasons we sometimes make less money.
We Scan Before We Sell
No treatment plan is discussed before the duplex ultrasound. About one screening in six ends with a letter to your physician and nothing sold.
Cosmetic Is Called Cosmetic
Spider veins are usually cosmetic and usually not covered. You'll be told that in the room, with a price, rather than discovering it on a statement.
The Bill Comes First
Benefits verified and authorisation obtained before your treatment date. Fear of the bill is the main reason people put this off for a decade.
One Specialty, Twelve Years
We do veins and nothing else, which is why we're quick at the diagnosis and comfortable telling you when the answer lies somewhere else.
A Small Practice on Wornall Road
A dedicated ultrasound suite, two treatment rooms, and ground-floor parking — which matters more than you'd think when the problem is your legs.
After Years of Waiting
I'd assumed for fifteen years that this was cosmetic and I'd have to pay for it out of pocket, so I simply put up with legs that ached every evening. Larkspur ran the ultrasound, showed me the reflux on screen, and told me my plan covered it. Two appointments, no general anaesthetic, and the ache is gone.
The ulcer above my ankle had been dressed by three different services for eleven months and nobody had looked at the veins underneath it. Larkspur did the ultrasound on the first visit, treated the vein that was causing it, and it closed in seven weeks.
I came in about spider veins expecting a hard sell and was told, plainly, that mine were cosmetic, that insurance would not cover them, and exactly what it would cost. That honesty is the reason I sent my mother in about her swelling.
Insurance, Pain and Recovery
Is vein treatment covered by insurance?
Symptomatic venous disease — aching, swelling, skin changes, ulcers — is usually covered when it's documented properly, and documenting it properly is our job. Purely cosmetic spider veins generally are not. We verify your benefits and obtain authorisation before your treatment date so the number you're given is the number you pay.
Does the treatment hurt?
Most people describe the local anaesthetic as the worst part, and rate that a two or three out of ten. The ablation itself is felt as pressure rather than pain. You'll have some bruising and tightness along the treated vein for a week or two.
How long is the recovery?
You walk out of the appointment and you're encouraged to walk that evening — movement genuinely helps. Most people return to desk work the next day and to the gym within a week. No general anaesthetic, no hospital stay, no stitches.
Will the veins come back?
The treated vein is permanently closed and doesn't reopen. However, venous disease is progressive, so new veins can become incompetent over the years — roughly one patient in five needs something further within a decade. We'll tell you honestly where you sit on that risk.
Why do I need an ultrasound first?
Because what's visible on the surface often has nothing to do with what's failing underneath, and treating the wrong vein achieves nothing. The scan takes twenty minutes, you watch it with us, and it's what turns a guess into a plan.
Do I have to wear compression stockings first?
Frequently yes — many insurers require a documented trial of compression before they'll authorise treatment. We'll fit you properly and start that clock at your first visit rather than months later. Some people improve enough on compression alone that they choose to stop there.
My doctor said it's just age. Is it?
It might be, and about one screening in six ends exactly that way. But heaviness, swelling and skin changes are attributed to age extremely often, and one twenty-minute scan settles the question either way. There's no downside to knowing.
I have an ulcer that won't heal. Can you help?
Very possibly, and please don't wait. Venous ulcers are often dressed for months by services who haven't scanned the veins underneath them. Treating the failing vein is frequently what allows the wound to close, and we'll coordinate with whoever is currently managing it.
Book a Screening Ultrasound
You'll see your own scan, hear whether it's venous, and know what your insurance covers before anything is booked.
Tell Us What Your Legs Are Doing
And who you're insured with — we'll check your benefits before you come in.