A blood clot can occur anywhere in your body, but they most often occur in your legs and arms. Blood clots can be dangerous, and one of the first signs you may have is poor circulation in your appendages. If a blood clot breaks away and enters your heart or lungs, it can lead to a stroke, heart attack or even death.
Poor circulation can cause fluid to accumulate in certain areas of the body. This is edema, and it often occurs in the legs, ankles, and feet. Edema may also be a sign of heart failure. It can occur when the heart cannot circulate an adequate blood supply throughout the body.
If you have poor circulation, you may experience swelling in your feet, ankles, and legs. Swelling, also called edema, happens when blood pools in one area of the body. You may notice taut, warm skin, heaviness or stiffness in the surrounding joints, and pain.
Poor circulation that is not addressed can develop into a serious disorder, and can lead to amputations, strokes and heart attacks. There is a lot you can do to prevent poor circulation in your legs.
If your doctor suspects you have PAD, then they will likely arrange for you to have an Ankle-Brachial Index test (ABI). This is a simple test that can be done in the office to check circulation in the legs. It consists of taking blood pressure in the arms and at the ankles with an ultrasound probe.
Poor circulation most often requires a cardiologist for accurate diagnosis and treatment, and it is not easy to treat poor circulation without the assistance of a cardiologist. Therefore, it is important to see a cardiologist anytime multiple symptoms of poor circulation are present.
The main symptoms of PAD are pain, achiness, fatigue, burning, or discomfort in the muscles of your feet, calves, or thighs. These symptoms most often appear during walking or exercise, and go away after several minutes of rest.
Symptoms of poor circulation are often easy to spot. They include muscle cramping, constant foot pain, and pain and throbbing in the arms and legs. As well as fatigue, varicose veins, and digestive issues.
You can improve your poor circulation symptoms in these ways: Exercise. Eat a healthy diet. Quit smoking.
Risks include cardiovascular failure, stroke, and complications such as infected skin ulcers or blood clots. If you have poor circulation, wounds heal more slowly and it takes longer to recover from illnesses.
Are you having problems with your veins or with blood circulation? If yes, you probably need to see a vascular specialist. A vascular specialist is a medical physician who specializes and is highly trained in preventing, treating, and diagnosing vascular diseases and conditions.
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) refers to poor circulation in your limbs (arms or legs). PAD is usually a result of narrowed arteries that become blocked by a buildup of plaque (fatty deposits). PAD restricts blood from getting to your extremities.
Walking is the simplest yet most effective exercise to help improve blood circulation in your legs. Walk at a comfortable pace every day. Walking will increase the muscle contraction in your legs and improve the blood flow in your limbs and throughout your body.
It is one of the most common symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. When your body is not able to produce enough red blood cells it leads to poor circulation of oxygen to different body parts.
Arterial Doppler Ultrasound
A Doppler ultrasound uses sound waves to produce images that highlight blood flow in the leg arteries.
Leg Pain Can Indicate Risk for a Heart Attack or Stroke
Peripheral artery disease that causes leg pain can be indicative of heart issues. People that have PAD are at a higher risk of having a stroke or heart attack. This could be a sign that the coronary arteries are blocked and the blood flow is reduced.
Some people experience thick, opaque toenails, restricted mobility, and impotence from slow circulation in their legs. Skin can become thin, shiny, and brittle. Pulses also weaken, and muscles become heavy, weak, and numb. The symptoms that develop and worse depending on the type of disease.
"People wouldn't necessarily think that sore legs are related to heart disease," adds CVI vascular surgeon Andy Lee, MD, an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "But if leg arteries are blocked, it's likely that coronary arteries are blocked as well.
If a person is concerned about poor blood flow, they may want to avoid foods that are processed, or high in sugar, fats, or salt.
But circulation can get worse for a number of reasons, including conditions like deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and peripheral artery disease (PAD), or weight gain and age. When your circulation isn't working the way it should, some parts of your body may not get the nutrients they need. Varicose veins.