Do you suffer from poor circulation in legs? Poor blood circulation can occur in any part of human body. The 2 most vulnerable parts are the upper and lower extremities, which are hands, fingers, legs, feet, and toes.
Circulation problems in legs should never be ignored as it can be an indication of other serious medical problems. If left untreated, it will only bring permanent fatal consequences such as having gangrene and leg amputation, and even putting you on even higher risk of getting a heart attack or stroke.
However, there are always some solutions or treatment options that you can use to improve bad or poor blood circulation. Before that, knowing the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and test become necessary in order to understand your condition.
Here is the detailed information to help you understand the problems and the solutions as well.
- What is Bad or Poor Circulation?
- Signs and Symptoms
- Problems with Poor Blood Circulation
- What Causes It to Happen?
- Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) or Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)
- Diagnosis and Tests
- The Treatments
What is Bad or Poor Circulation?
Bad or poor circulation means that the blood can’t flow properly to particular part of our body, which can be caused by several conditions. There are millions of people that suffer from this same condition every year.
For some of us, it may be just temporary condition. But for others, the symptoms of poor circulation may appear frequently. For any reason, this condition needs to be aware of and consulted with your doctor.
When you suffer from poor circulation in legs, it means there isn’t enough blood to circulate in your leg. That’s why, you may have some symptoms.
Signs and Symptoms
For some people, poor leg circulation means nothing because they don’t experience any symptoms and signs. The facts show poor circulation in legs is a silent and dangerous condition. That’s why, a lot of people who suffer from this condition do not have any signs and symptoms at all. However, by the time the symptoms appear, the arteries may have narrowed by 60 percent or more.
For others who have symptoms, here are some of the common signs and symptoms to help recognize this condition:
- Cramping, fatigue, aching, and or pain in your legs, feet, calf muscles and buttocks
- Tingling and numbness
- Feet or legs “fall asleep” after sitting or sleeping for long periods of time
- Cold feet
- The skin of your legs and feet turn blue or very pale
- Edema or swelling in the legs or feet
- The cuts, wound or scrapes do not heal
Symptoms like cramping, fatigue, aching, and or pain in your legs, feet, calf muscles and buttocks can appear any time, such as
- during your activity, especially while you are walking. They usually disappear after resting for several minutes. But they come back again when you continue your activity,
- while you sit for extended periods of time (like in a long bus ride, long flight, long distances driving),
- while you are sleeping, and
- even at rest (in severe cases).
Problems with Poor Circulation
Poor circulation can lead to blood clots known as DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis). When the blood clots condition left untreated, it can lead to heart attack, stroke, amputation and even become life-threatening. Other serious complication of poor circulation in legs is known as gangrene, which can cause amputation of a leg or foot.
Besides those, a number of diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke, phlebitis, hypertension, kidney damage, aneurysms can be caused due to circulation problems in legs.
What Causes It to Happen?
Although there are many different conditions and diseases that can lead to circulation problems in legs, most cases of bad leg circulation are Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) or Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD). According to the research, there are 8-12 millions of American people suffer from this particular condition.
Other than that, here are the other possible diseases and conditions that can result in poor circulation in legs:
- Dysfunctional valves in the veins which allow backward flow of blood are another cause of this problem.
- People with medical conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol level, high blood pressure, hypertension, anxiety and asthma are more vulnerable to the disease.
- Unhealthy lifestyle, lack of physical activities and smoking can also trigger its onset.
- It is more commonly observed in pregnant women and aged people.
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) or Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)
PVD is the broader medical term for the group of problems that cause poor circulation in legs. PVD can involve the blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart (known as peripheral arteries) or toward the heart (known as peripheral veins).
PAD is used to mention a condition in which the legs arteries are constricted due to deposition of a fatty substance called plaque on their walls. The plaque formation blocks the amount of blood flow to the limbs and results in poor circulation in legs.
PAD condition is often called PVD as well, although PAD is actually the one that is more accurately to describe the plaque buildup (atherosclerosis) in the inner walls of arteries.
As the progression of plaque buildup is slow, it can take years to form. This is the reason that people over 50 and the ones with single or more medical record of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, a history of heart attack, or stroke have higher risk for bad leg circulation.
This condition should be taken care seriously as this isn’t just poor circulation and pain in the legs. It can increase your risk significantly for getting heart attack or stroke. You should ask you doctor to perform some tests.
Diagnosis and Tests
Before starting any treatment, complete and accurate diagnosis should be done to know the real problem and other related health condition (such as diabetes) that affects your circulatory system.
Your doctor may start by looking at your medical history, doing physical exam and some tests to diagnose your condition.
Here are some of the tests available to help diagnose this condition:
- ABI (Ankle-Brachial Index) is intended to see how well the blood is circulating by comparing the blood pressure in the arm and in the ankle.
- A Doppler ultrasound is intended to see how far the blood vessel has been blocked.
- A MRA (magnetic resonance angiogram) or CT angiography is used to detect the exact location and level of blockages that cause the blood flow becomes constricted by taking images of blood vessels in our body.
- Blood test is a test to find out your blood sugar and cholesterol. Blood sugar is important to know whether or not you have diabetes, as your circulation problems can be diabetes complication. High cholesterol worsens the plaques buildup in the arteries.
- Treadmill is helpful to diagnose the symptoms that arise, such as how severe they are and when they happen.
The Treatments
Treating poor circulation in legs is very important as it may lead to several life threatening diseases. For proper functioning of circulatory system, the heart must be strong and healthy and the blood vessels are capable to transport large amounts of blood safely.
There are 3 main goals that your treatment should focus on. They are:
- Alleviating the poor circulation in legs symptoms.
- Preventing further circulatory problems or damages to the circulatory system.
- Speeding up the healing such as by improving circulation in legs.
Bad circulation can be treated by a mixture of natural and alternative therapies. If medical condition such as diabetes or heart disease is the reason you suffer from poor circulation in legs, then the proper treatment of the disease is needed.
Natural Approaches:
- Natural methods include taking a balanced diet rich in vegetables and fruits, fish and poultry.
- Drink plenty of water as it helps with circulation.
- Reduce your caffeine, sodium and alcohol intake.
- Quit smoking as it one of the major reasons for this condition.
- Regular exercise with greater focus on feet dominated exercises can promote blood circulation and overall health. They can include walking, bicycling, water aerobics, and or swimming.
- Taking multivitamins ensures that you get adequate amount of vitamins and helps in strengthening the circulatory system.
Alternative Therapies:
- Alternative therapy includes taking herbal supplements or herbal remedies such as ginger, cayenne pepper and Ginkgo Biloba which promote proper circulation and improve circulation in legs. They relax muscles, limit the sticky quality of blood platelets and act as natural blood thinners.
- Anticoagulants such as aspirin can help prevent blood clots and reduce the chances of bad circulation.
Poor blood circulation in legs in later stages can be cured by medication and surgery.
It is recommended if you seek a professional advice from your doctor as well because bad or poor circulation in legs can be quite a serious and also an indication of other medical problems like they were mentioned before.
my mom suffers from this and i hope she will get better after reding this.
I am having a terrible pain in my left leg specially at night. I just need some information about which specialist do I need to see for that problem.
Thanks
Please email this information to me for I think this is exactly what I suffer from.
I have been suffering with my feet and legs swelled up to twice there normal size for the last 6 months. I have told my Doctor about this and shown her my legs and feet. I also have the iscolouration in my feet and ankles and the numbness on the bottom of my feet. It is very difficult to walk for more then a couple minutes because i get extremely severe pains in the bottom of my feet. I have visited my local hospital emergency room and still not recieved the proper care. Now that i know what is wrong with my legs and feet i will be talking to my doctor again and i will be pointing out how serious of a mistake that she has made by not treating this medical condition properly.
Thanks for this article!!:-)
I had doubts about my problem but the same has been cleared.
Thanks
I am waiting for an amputation because of this condition! Please go to your Doctor if you are worried-that’s what they are there for! Don’t be stubborn & foolish like me!
hi i have those symptoms since a long time and i kind of neglected it as i thought it was normal and i hardly have time to think about myself as i have children.now am having skin problem on both legs,vitiligo,depimentation of skin,could you please tell me if its related to blood circulation.can anyone clear my doubts please.
ACUPUNTURE; will help to relif a poor circulation in legs and arms.??? do you recomend it.???
I have phlebitis right now in left leg. Last time I went to local hospital the dr. asked me what made me come in and who told me I could have a dvt? I have had them at least 2 times they were diagnosed and treated. Has anyone had nice dopplers of the leg? I had a couple good ones very gentle BUT I had a bunch of bad ones 1 left me with 27 bruises. I have bad pain and redness going from my knee up 3″. Rachel I really feel for you. I have had the vein stripping, venous ulcers, horrible swelling, and pain. I will pray for you.
Hi Rolando,
Acupuncture has been around longer than traditional Western type medicine and has a broad range of effects on the body as I understand it. I have done some research into it and have a basic understanding of some of the beliefs of those who practice it. Several of my family members and friends have undergone acupuncture and swear by its positive effects. There may be some evidence of its ability to help with circulation and other processes, but it is difficult to find scientifically validated studies comparing standard medical approaches vs. acupuncture.
My opinion is that it is unlikely to cause harm and is worth a try, but when circulation is severely compromised, the end result can be catastrophic. Loss of blood flow to a limp can result in amputation or even more serious consequences. Patients with serious underlying medical conditions should discuss this approach with the acupuncture practitioner and also bring the primary care doctor into the loop of communication to best serve the patient.
Don’t forget that there may be more to “bad circulation” than meets the eye. What if the blood is not carrying enough oxygen? A friend of a friend has a left foot that is bordering on gangrene. His doctor gives him Codeine and has mentioned that the leg might eventually need to be amputated. Wouldn’t a few stents be a better idea? Allegedly the man also suffers from fluid on the lungs and ammonia breath. Now I’m not a doctor I’m a retired Systems Engineer and my diagnosis is kidney failure. This is most unfortunate but for the time being a change in diet seems to be all that can be done. There is a faint possibility that it might be Heliobacter Pylorus easily fixed with antibiotics but I don’t think he is going to be that lucky. Please let me know if anything else can be done.
Hi Sima,
Vitiligo is a very common problem. Most experts believe it is an autoimmune problem. Melanocytes are the cells that produce pigment in the skin. This condition is obviously more noticeable in darker skinned individuals.
I am not aware of a connection between vitiligo and circulation problems; however, poor circulation problems do cause skin changes.
Chronically decreased blood flow to a leg can cause hair loss and also the skin may appear shiney or smooth. If the veins are swollen and distended, fluid may leak from these vessels and stretch out the skin. This also results in what doctors call stasis changes. In this setting the skin may appear red, puffy, waxy or at times blister up and weep fluid.
A general medicine doctor often can diagnose the cause of these skin findings and refer the patient on to a specialist. Vitiligo is treated by dermatologist who specialize in skin conditions. If it is purely a poor circulation problem a vascular surgeon or interventional radiologist can help.
HI I WAS JUST READING ABOUT POOR CIRCULATION IN THE LEGS MY LEGS DO HURT NOW AND THE IF I WEAR A LOW SHOE IT REAL BAD .MY ANKKE WAS HURTING BAD AND ITCHING I NO I HAVE POOR CIRCULATION .I USE MY STOCKING TO SLEEP IN AND IT BRINGS THE SWEELING DOWN .
Davey, If gangrene does not get resolved by medical treatment and supportive measures, then there might be no other choice than to amputate the leg to limit the gangrene from spreading. There is a surgical treatment called Lumbar Sympathectomy which may relieve much of the circulatory problems in persons suffering from such disease. Please discuss this treatment option with your surgeon. This person that you talk of most probably suffers from multiple problems due to un-diagnosed conditions. He needs an extensive workup and radiological evaluation.
Kidney failure is a possibility but ammoniacal breath can occur in many other conditions. In fact, urea breathe test is a test which detects the presence of Helicobacter pylori because this bacterium converts urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide.
I am having a terrible pain in my right leg specially at night. I just need some information about which specialist do I need to see for that problem.I just had my vains in the leg removed so i know i dont have a blood clot i dont smoke or drink and eat fruit anf veg no red meat juust whit meat and fish it just keep me up at night dont know what to do with the leg i swim twice a week but when i stand up some time i can not walk stright away help
Hi Gloria,
The information and symptoms is somewhat perplexing. Without performing an exam and seeing the actual physical findings, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause.
Potential diagnosis include: pinched nerve, compressed blood vessel (artery, tumor, blood clot, nerve irritation, inflammation or infection and several other potentially serious causes).
What is described above is what doctors call “night or rest pain” which usually implies a circulation problem, but not always. What happens is that when the leg is elevated, the force of gravity is removed and what little blood was flowing through a critically clogged blood vessel due to gravity stops. Now the tissues are starving for blood and oxygen. The end result is pain. Doctors call this Claudication.
In general, anyone with the above symptoms needs to see a doctor promptly.
The information you provided is very helpful. I will get my grandfather to read the information. His legs are weak and has problem walking. Your article will greatly help him to understand his conditions and hopefully he can regain his strength.
I am 12 and I have bad circulation in my legs. They have purple red ish lacy color.
My sister and I both have poor leg circulation with discoloration and blisters. My sister had her veins cleaned by a vascular sugeon and is doing great. I must wear suppression hoses and keep my legs elevated above my heart in order to reduce swelling. I have been told another outbreak of blisters could mean my leg will not heal because of damage to the skin. I am considering having my veins cleaned as well. I also feel part of my problem has to do with an immune issue. Does anyone with discoid lupus experience this type of leg issues?
Hi , I live in Belize C.A. In two months my two feet became dark as if i’m wearing a pair of socks. My doctor said The valves that returns the blood to my heart is not closing as it should so blood remains in my feet and oxidizes that is the reason for the colouring. When I walk during the day as I work, I start feeling pain on both feet. He advise me on wearing a pair of special socks that fits very tight on the feet and oh boy how that thing works. I recommend you visit your pharmacy and ask about it. It come in different sizes. Now I walk all day and no swelling and no pain.
very informative -I need help in locating a Dr. in this field in a new city. I am moving to Melbourne, Fl. in two weeks. How Can I locate a specialists in this field, have severe problem accompanied with lots of pain, legs cramping, etc. Please send info. how to locate a qualified specialist in the field. Thank you.
I have most of the systoms. On both legs for , and sores years have had itchy, redness,thick skin,burning to the skin. Went to a skin doctor and he said I was itching and that was causing the sores. Long story short never went back and have been dealing with it. However just recently my legs are very sore from water retention. The only other thing I have been diag with is Asthma/Allergies. So now with the leg problems I have shortness of breathe is it related? Do I have PAD? I have a physcial coming up in May, should I see my doctor before then?
Rose,
Redness, itching and burning can arise from a variety of causes. A skin doctor may be able to treat the symptoms, but if leg swelling is present, this is likely the root of the problem.
Leg swelling from poor circulation causes the skin and tissue under the skin to be stretched. This results in disruption of the normal architecture of tissues and causes inflammation of both blood vessels and nerves.
Patients with chronic swelling often develop sores. It is not entirely clear if the sores are from the stretching of the skin and resultant excessive itching, poor circulation due to inflammation of blood vessels or a combination of both.
The issue of shortness of breath is more difficult to pin down. It may be multiple factors – asthma is likely contributing, but if significant leg swelling is present then other considerations include – heart failure, leaky veins, blood clots in the lungs and high blood pressure in the lungs.
The next stop is a family physician or internal medicine doctor to start a comprehensive work up.
Georgina,
Severe pain and leg cramping can be from several causes. If leg cramping occurs during activity, the problem may lie in a blocked artery causing pain in the muscles due to poor circulation. If pain occurs at night mostly this also may be due to lack of blood flow. As the leg is elevated, the effects of gravity are negated and blood flow decreases further resulting in leg pain.
Nerve pain can cause pain in the legs due to irritation of the nerve as it passes out of the spinal cord and travels down the leg.
Start with an internal medicine doctor and then ask for a referral for further testing or to a vascular surgeon to get to the bottom of things.
My friend has been standing up in the mornings at school and after standing for say five min. her legs turn blue and she has to sit down to get rid of the discoloring.
Chuancy, The effects of gravity are most notable in patients with leaky veins. Veins have one way valves that wear out over time. Obesity is a huge contributing factor.
Patients often wear compression stockings to help prevent this problem from occurring. More aggressive approaches can be discussed with a vascular surgeon or vein specialist.
i have see plenty red spot on my leg and its pain at night it move all over my fatty part on my cafe and leg it tender at time some time it went away i realy dont know wat this is.
Natalie, Painful red spots on legs can be from a few different conditions. If the arise solely on the back of the leg and overlie veins, they are likely areas of inflammation inside of the veins or even superficial blood clots in the veins.
If the red spots are on the shin the causes multiply quite a bit. These can be due to inflammation elsewhere in the body, lung disease and connective tissue problems.
Getting this sorted out will require the help of a family or internal medicine physician.
hi all, my left lower leg below knee and above ankle is always bothering me it feels like there is a pressure in there going to burst soemtimes if i don’t get off of it. if i elevate it it usually relieves the pressure feeling. i don’t know where to go for help. what kind of doctor should i see to see what is going on? my hair on my lower legs has been slowly dissapearing over the years but i’m only 32. thanks for any direction.
This condition sounds serious. Blood clots cause pain and discomfort and chronic blood clots cause a variety of changes in the leg, skin and tissues.
Cysts can form behind the knee and cause discomfort. They are not worrisome other than the symptoms.
Having an ultrasound test performed on the leg in question would provide some crucial information. Get to a doctor quickly for this issue.
Mia, Children rarely have poor extremity circulation unless born with a heart condition. Many viruses cause skin changes particularly in the arms and legs.
Some connective tissue diseases can affect the appearance of the skin. See a pediatrician (kid doctor) to start with and then referral to specialist as needed.
Had blood clots + PE in 2006. I have had leg problems ever since. Bleeding in the lower leg area has occured twice in the last 3 months. A vein will break open and blood start spraying out in a stream. Had all the tests done and they found existing clots attached to the vein wall in one leg. Venous Insufficiency seems to be the cause. Doctor wants to start warfarin treatment. Still not sold on this as i am worried about bleeding again and be on blood thinners. What would happen? Also have peripheral neuropathy in both legs.
Jim, this is a very difficult but common scenario. Blood thinner prevent further clots from forming and hopefully prevent a clot from reaching the lungs, heart or brain. All the above with obvious catastrophic consequences.
A vascular surgeon or vein specialist may provide some alternative options than lifelong warfarin (Coumadin) treatment. There are some newer blood thinners out on the market, but non are without some serious consequences.
Weight loss, smoking cessation, diet, exercise and lifestyle modification are areas where individual effort and resolve will have the most impact.