The blood in your veins acts as an essential transportation system for oxygen and nutrients that need to be distributed throughout your body. Oxygen and nutrients are traded with waste that needs to be filtered out of your body. When you have damaged blood vessels, your blood circulation doesn’t function as effectively, commonly referred to as poor circulation.

What is Poor Circulation?

Poor circulation occurs when blood flow is significantly reduced due to interference in a part of your body. Obstacles in your blood vessels can make it harder for your blood to travel through to the parts of your body farthest from your heart. When your blood has difficulty circulating, the cells in your body get less oxygen which makes it harder for them to function properly.

Symptoms of Poor Leg Circulation

If you over 40 years old, overweight, diabetic, or struggle to get active, here are key symptoms to keep an eye out for:

  • Bulging veins
  • Cold feet or toes
  • Numbness
  • Pale or blue skin color
  • Sore or weak muscles when walking
  • ”Pins and needles” sensation
  • Swelling
  • Chest pain
  • Slow healing wounds or ulcers
  • Heaviness in legs or feet

If you notice any of these symptoms, please take time to reach out to a vascular doctor to schedule a consultation immediately. From there, a specialist can evaluate your symptoms, determine a diagnosis, and assist you with any next steps to treat your symptoms.

Poor circulation can be caused by multiple different vascular and health conditions, such as Peripheral Artery Disease, atherosclerosis, and more. Although poor circulation prevention can alleviate symptoms, some diagnoses may require other treatments in addition to preventative measures.

What is Peripheral Artery Disease, and What Does it Have to Do with Poor Circulation?

Peripheral Artery Disease, commonly abbreviated as PAD, occurs when your veins have plaque buildup that makes it harder for your blood to flow through your veins and circulate your blood. Plaque buildup occurs due to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking.

PAD develops gradually, but it can be prevented through regular exercise, healthy diet choices, medications, and reducing harmful habits like smoking. By taking preventative measures, you can lower your risk of developing poor circulation in your legs.

What Else Causes Poor Circulation?

PAD is the most common source of poor circulation, but it is not the only diagnosis to go along with poor circulation. Watch out for other conditions that can cause poor circulation, such as:

  • Diabetes
  • Varicose veins
  • Blood clots
  • Venous insufficiency
  • Raynaud’s disease
  • Atherosclerosis
  • Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

A serious condition to highlight in this list is deep vein thrombosis (DVT). With DVT, your circulation is decreased due to a blood clot that has formed in the deep veins in your legs. If this blood clot goes untreated, it can cause a life-threatening pulmonary embolism, where a piece of the clot in your leg breaks off and moves to block blood flow to your lungs.

Keep an eye out for sudden symptoms of swelling, tenderness, or pain in your legs as a sign of DVT. If you experience chest pain, sweating, difficulty breathing, or pale or bluish skin, you could be experiencing a pulmonary embolism, and you should immediately seek medical care.

How is Poor Circulation Diagnosed?

To diagnose the cause of your poor circulation, you should talk to your doctor. After a physical exam, evaluating your medical history, and running some tests, your doctor can determine if you are experiencing poor circulation. Poor circulation is not a diagnosis on its own, but it can point to a more serious condition.

To determine the cause of your poor circulation, your doctor could order a variety of tests, such as:

  • Blood tests
  • Stress tests: uses exercise to see how your heart responds when it is working its hardest
  • Doppler ultrasound
  • Angiography: a combination of imaging and contrast material to see where your blood is flowing and locate blockages
  • CT scan
  • Ankle-brachial index (ABI) test: takes the blood pressure in your arm and compares it to the blood pressure in your ankle
  • Segmental Doppler pressure testing

Treatment Options for Poor Leg Circulation

When seeking treatment for poor circulation, it is important to know which condition your circulation issues stem from to determine the best course of action. With PAD, there are non-surgical procedures that can improve circulation, but you may need a different treatment for other conditions.

Common PAD procedures include:

  • Angioplasty: A catheter guides a small balloon into your artery so it can be inflated to compress the blockage
  • Atherectomy: A laser or rotating catheter scrapes the plaque buildup way from your artery walls
  • Stent placement: A mesh stent is inserted into your artery to keep it permanently open while preventing the plaque buildup from breaking off

There are some generalized treatments for poor circulation that you can expect regardless of the condition causing it. Each treatment aims to open up your arteries or to reduce blockages such as plaque and blood clots.

Angioplasties can be used for more than just PAD, as they work to open arteries by compressing blockages. Removing blood clots and varicose veins can also open arteries and improve circulation.

A variety of medications can be used to reduce your chances of blockages. Blood thinners and anti-platelet medications can be used to reduce your risk of blood clots. Statins are prescription medications that reduce how much plaque builds up in your arteries.These medications do create a risk of bleeding, but with the proper dosage you shouldn’t experience any issues.

What Happens if Poor Circulation Goes Untreated?

Without treatment, poor circulation only continues to get worse. Blood circulation plays a vital role in your body’s healing process, which means small injuries will require much more time to heal. This can lead small injuries to become infected or get worse over time as well.

What Can I Do to Prevent Poor Foot Circulation?

There are several preventative measures you can take in addition to treatments and medications. Evaluating your current lifestyle and making changes can have a significant impact on your symptoms. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

  • Quit smoking
  • Limit how much alcohol you drink
  • Stay hydrated
  • Reduce your caffeine intake
  • Exercise regularly
  • Remember to stretch
  • Elevate your legs
  • Maintain a healthy diet
  • Manage a healthy weight

Although these changes can alleviate your symptoms, they are not going to cure your symptoms. Conditions causing poor circulation cannot not be completely cured, only managed.

Living with Poor Circulation

Once you have a diagnosed condition and a treatment plan, you can enjoy life while taking care of your cardiovascular health. Make sure you still have regular doctor appointments, take any medications you are prescribed, make healthy lifestyle changes, and watch out for other symptoms.

Treatment at Michigan Vascular

At Michigan Vascular Center, we’re committed to providing the highest quality care and support for our patients based on sound principles of vascular disease treatment. If you believe you have poor circulation, let us help determine the cause and develop a treatment plan for you.

Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you manage your poor circulation.

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FAQs about Poor Circulation

How do you know if you have poor circulation in your legs and feet?

If you are experiencing cold feet or toes, numbness, weak muscles when walking, swelling, or pale skin, you may have poor circulation to your legs and feet. For an official diagnosis, you will have to talk to a doctor.

What does skin look like with poor circulation?

The appearance of your legs can be affected by poor circulation, with purple-ish blue spider-like veins on your skin. Your legs may also be dry from the lack of blood flow.

Can you reverse poor circulation in legs?

Poor circulation cannot be reversed, but the symptoms can be managed through medication, treatments, and a healthy lifestyle. Talk to a vascular specialist today to determine your next steps.

What is the best drink for blood circulation?

Drinking green, black, and ginger tea can help with blood circulation by opening up your blood vessels and using antioxidants to fight against heart disease.

How do you check blood circulation in your legs at home?

Check the temperature of your legs. If they feel cold, cover them with a blanket for an hour and then recheck the temperature. If they still feel cold to the touch, schedule an appointment with your doctor to have further testing done.

What is the best vitamin for blood circulation in legs?

Just because a vitamin is recommended online or by a friend does not mean it will work well with other medications you are on. To determine the best vitamins and supplements for you, make sure to ask your doctor.

What is the best exercise for poor circulation in legs?

Taking time to be active in any way is good for your circulation. An easy way to start getting active is to take daily walks around your neighborhood. If you want to create a more detailed exercise plan, talk to your doctor to see what they recommend.