Phlebitis (superficial thrombophlebitis): symptoms and causes

Phlebitis is inflammation of a vein near the surface of the skin. It’s not usually serious and often gets better on its own after 1 or 2 weeks.

Phlebitis is also sometimes known as superficial thrombophlebitis or superficial vein thrombosis.

Symptoms of phlebitis

Phlebitis usually affects the veins in the legs, but you can also get it in your arms or neck.

The main symptoms are:

pain, tenderness or swelling in the affected area
warm and itchy skin over the affected area
changes to the colour and texture of the surrounding skin – for example, the skin may be red and it may be thick and hard

Treatment for phlebitis may not be needed if your symptoms are mild.

But treatment may be recommended if your symptoms are severe or do not go away.

Treatments may include:

anti-inflammatory medicines – cream or gel can be used if the affected area is small
compression stockings – these increase blood flow to the legs but are only suitable for some people with phlebitis
blood-thinning medicine to reduce the risk of blood clots and help stop phlebitis coming back

There are things you can do to help ease the pain and discomfort of phlebitis.

continue using the affected leg or arm
raise your leg or arm while resting
put a warm, moist flannel over the affected area
take paracetamol or ibuprofen – if you’ve been prescribed blood-thinning medicine, do not take ibuprofen unless advised to by your doctor

It's not always clear what causes phlebitis.

Often the inflammation is linked to:

varicose veins (swollen and enlarged veins, usually in the legs)
conditions that cause the blood to clot more easily like thrombophilia
autoimmune conditions like Behçet's disease (a rare condition that causes inflammation of the blood vessels)
having injections or a small plastic tube (cannula) inserted into a vein

Other things that can increase your chances of getting phlebitis include: