People with poor circulation may notice their feet feel cold or numb. They may also notice discoloration. The feet may turn red, blue, purple, or white. These symptoms may worsen in certain situations, such as when a person sits still for long periods of time or goes outside in cold weather.
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. Leg cramps while walking and wounds that don't seem to heal in your legs, feet, and toes are also symptoms.
As with many other symptoms of poor circulation, twisted, bulging blue varicose veins tend to appear on your legs and ankles. Varicose veins occur when a valve within the vein fails, disrupting your circulation.
If you don't do something about your bad circulation, it won't get better on its own. In fact, it can get worse. But you can manage and improve your poor circulation with lifestyle changes, medication and surgery, if necessary.
Numbness, weakness, or heaviness in muscles. Pain (described as burning or aching) at rest, commonly in the toes and at night while lying flat. Paleness when the legs are elevated. Reddish-blue discoloration of the extremities.
A simple, painless and noninvasive test called a duplex ultrasound can determine if you have bad circulation and the severity of the condition. Based on the severity of your condition, a vascular specialist doctor will determine the best treatment option for you.
Cilostazol improves the flow of blood through the blood vessels. It is used to reduce leg pain caused by poor circulation (intermittent claudication).
Elevating a limb, especially the legs, above the heart allows the blood to circulate back to the heart without fighting gravity. The heart still pumps blood to these extremities, but the stress on the heart is reduced. This helps to mitigate swelling and brings fresh and oxygenated blood to the limbs.
Shiny, smooth, dry skin of the legs or feet. Thickening of the toenails. Absent or diminished pulse in the legs or feet. Open sores, skin infections or ulcers that will not heal.
Peripheral artery disease can cause the color of the legs and feet to change. Most commonly the discoloration presents itself as a shade of blue. This can be a sign that not enough nutrients or oxygen are able to be supplied to the legs and feet by the blood.
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.
The most common conditions include obesity, diabetes, heart conditions and arterial issues. In fact, poor circulation can be a sneaky symptom of a serious vascular condition called Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD).
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 affected limb(s) may be pale or cold with a weak pulse. Other signs of limb ischemia include hair loss, changes in the appearance of skin, and thickened nails. In advanced cases, it can lead to lowered quality of life and severe conditions like sepsis or amputation.
The most common symptom of chronic limb-threatening ischemia is an intense foot or leg pain. Often, this pain wakes you up at night. You may hang your leg off the edge of your bed or get up and walk around to relieve the pain.
Characteristic physical findings of ALI include the 5Ps—acute onset of progressive pain in the affected limb (pain), pulselessness, pallor, paresthesia, and paralysis.
By elevating your legs as you sleep, you can reduce the discomfort and pain this may bring, as well as reduce the swelling. It can also soothe any muscle tension you may have by removing pressure. If you're on your feet a lot during the day, it's a good way to relieve tension while you're sleeping.
We're going to cut to the chase: sleeping with your legs and feet up is NOT dangerous. In fact, sleeping elevated is a smart move, for many reasons. Not only does sleeping with your legs elevated help with spinal alignment, it provides a whole host of other health and lifestyle benefits too.
Just like reducing swelling, elevating legs allows blood that has pooled to drain away. This lowers the pressure on your veins as well, allowing them to benefit from a much-deserved break. Pressure can lead to varicose veins and other more serious vein issues if left unchecked.