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 mainly occurs in the arms or legs when blood flow is reduced, preventing cells in the body from receiving adequate oxygen.

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

A woman's legs with varicose veins.

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: Often enlarged, bulging veins are can appear twisted and bulge due to blood pooling and pressure on vein from lack of circulation.
  • Cold feet or toes: Cold feet or toes can signal poor circulation, and can sometimes be a symptom of more serious vascular conditions like peripheral artery disease or PAD.
  • Numbness: Numbness can also signal lack or proper circulation to the legs, and can be a result of PAD and/or diabetes.
  • Pale or blue skin color: Reduction of blood flow to the lower extremities can cause pale or blue appearance to skin.
  • Sore or weak muscles when walking: Poor circulation in the legs can make the legs muscles feel week or sore, with relief when only at rest – this is a key sign of improper blood flow to the legs.
  • “Pins and needles” sensation: Usually described as a “tingling” in the legs, this type of sensation is commonly linked to poor circulation in the legs.
  • Swelling: When blood pools in the legs, it can create swelling – often uncomfortable.
  • Slow healing wounds or ulcers: When oxygen and nutrients can not properly go towards the legs due to poor circulation, it can lead to ulcers or slow healing wounds.

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?

A close-up of bulging veins on the back of a person's legs.

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.

What Other Factors Can Worsen Circulation Issues?

Blood circulation problems in the legs and feet can be exacerbated by a mix of environmental and genetic factors.

Environmental Influences

  1. Cold Weather: Exposure to cold environments causes blood vessels to constrict. This constriction slows blood flow, making circulation issues more pronounced.
  2. Lifestyle Factors: A sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise can heighten circulation problems. Regular movement encourages blood flow, combating the negative effects of cold temperatures.

Genetic Predispositions

  1. Hereditary Conditions: Some individuals inherit a predisposition to circulatory problems. Conditions like varicose veins can be passed down through family lines.
  2. Genetic Variants: Specific genetic makeups may influence the efficiency of blood vessels and their ability to transport blood efficiently.

By recognizing these factors, individuals can take proactive steps to minimize aggravating effects, such as dressing warmly in cold weather and maintaining an active lifestyle.

How is Poor Circulation Diagnosed?

A doctor using an ultrasound to check circulation in a patient's legs.

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

How to Improve Leg Circulation

There are practical ways to improve leg circulation and ensure that the blood continues flowing!

Here are some ways you can improve leg circulation daily:

  • Daily exercise: Aim for daily low-impact exercises to keep the blood flowing with activities like walking, swimming, or cycling.
  • Daily stretching: Stretching daily can also promote leg circulation with stretches like ankle pumps and leg lifts.
  • Daily leg elevation: Elevating legs daily helps blood to return back to the heart and decreases swelling.
  • Daily hydration: Hydration is key to ensure blood is circulating properly in the legs, as blood needs water to keep flowing.

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.

Schedule an appointment.

FAQs about Poor Circulation

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.

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.

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.

Yes, sitting for long periods can lead to decreased blood circulation in your legs and feet and increase your risk of blood clots, especially if you have underlying conditions like PAD. To mitigate the risk, wear compression socks during your flight, sit on the aisle seat, if you can, and get up to walk around periodically when it is safe to do so. If you cannot get up during the flight, try small exercises like ankle rotations, seated calf raises, hugging knees to chest, leg extensions, and glute clenches.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Needing treatment and relief from poor circulation? Contact us above and we’d be happy to schedule an appointment for you to connect with one of our providers. Our goal at Michigan Vascular is to treat each patient with quality care and treatment for all major vascular disorders. With over 50 years in the world of vascular health, our team is skilled and equipped to handle a variety of vascular conditions.