Bad Circulation in Legs and Feet

Ever sat in a place for too long and then the minute you got up the feeling of tiny ants crawling through your skin came to you? Stay with me here, 'coz that's seriously, exactly what it feels like. That and cold feet. It's an uncomfortable and weird feeling that you don't enjoy one bit. Why does that happen? It's because of bad circulation. And while it can affect any area of your body, bad circulation in legs and feet is very common. That's the case when you've blocked the circulation to a particular area for long, but what if this is a common occurrence for many people without any special reason? What leads to it and what is one supposed to do about it? The answers to this condition of bad circulation is what we will be looking through in the following article.

Causes

Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)
PVC is a condition that is caused when the blood vessels that are present in the outer portion of the brain or heart get blocked, narrow down and therefore restrict the blood flow leading to bad circulation in leg and feet.

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
This is a circulation disorder that is caused when the arteries are blocked by the formation of plaque or fatty deposits on the insides of the walls. This slows down the blood flow and leads to blood circulation problems.

Both these conditions are considered to be highly risky because bad circulation means that there is less blood and oxygen flowing to all the body parts. And since blood and oxygen are important for the very survival of humans, this is a serious condition and something that should not be ignored. Some of the conditions that poor blood circulation can cause are bad heart health heart attacks, strokes, loss of limbs and in extreme cases, even death.

Other Causes
Besides the obvious arterial problems, there are other reasons too which can cause this, which has a lot to do with the lifestyle of the person.

• Obesity
• Smoking
• Lack of proper nutrition
• High cholesterol
• Lack of exercise
• Thyroid
• Pregnancy
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes

Symptoms

• Swelling in legs and feet.
• Constant or periodic numbing of feet.
• Falling asleep of hands and feet
• Feet turning cold
• Tired feet
• Development of varicose veins
• Skin turning blue, red and pale.
• Cramping in calf muscles during sleeping and while waking.
• Slow healing infections.
• Sitting for long periods can lead to pain in the feet and legs.
• Muscle pain experienced in the legs and feet.
• Formation of rashes and sores on the feet.
• Tingling sensations in the feet and legs.

Treatment

It is important to understand that bad circulation is not a very simple condition and could be an indication of some underlying cause. The following are some solutions.

• Exercising to keep fit and to keep the excess weight off is essential.
• Quit smoking so that there is no buildup of plaque and blockage of arteries.
• Make sure to keep your cholesterol levels under control.
• Fight hard to maintain low blood pressure.
• Consume a balanced meal to improve general health.
• Avoid products that are made of refined flour. Also minimize caffeine and red meat intake.
• Introduce garlic into your diet. Garlic is a miracle worker when it comes to clearing the systems and improving the quality and circulation of blood.
• Make sure you maintain proper temperatures in the room and not let them slide to the extremes. This will ensure the correct body temperature.
• Take massages to improve blood flow and circulation.

All these are methods will help treat this condition if it is not too severe and certain simple lifestyle changes can do the trick. Other than that if there is something serious that is causing for this condition to come about then there needs to be a careful study done of the same. Angioplasty or a bypass surgery can be done to widen the arteries or replace a blocked blood vessel to improve blood circulation.

Bad circulation in legs and feet could be an indication of a serious problem and should never be ignored, especially if you're experiencing more than 2-3 symptoms of bad circulation. Make sure that you change your lifestyle for the better and get a checkup done ASAP.