The Importance of Treating Nonhealing Wounds
Unhealed, untreated wounds run the risk of becoming infected, which can lead to more pain, more discomfort, and more problems. Learn why it’s vital to treat nonhealing wounds as soon as possible.
What Are the Signs/Symptoms of Poor Blood Circulation in the Legs?
Your circulatory system comprises a network of arteries, veins, and capillaries that carries oxygen and nutrients from your heart to your organs and tissues and removes waste on the return journey. If you experience any changes in the structure or function of the components, it can lead to poor circulation in the extremities, especially the legs.
At Heart Vascular & Leg Center in Bakersfield, California, our expert vein specialists can help diagnose your poor blood circulation and get you the treatment you need. Since many people aren’t aware of the signs and symptoms of poor blood circulation in the legs, we’ve put together this guide to bring you up to speed.
How do arteries and veins work?
Your heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood out to the rest of your body, and your arteries and veins provide the conduits through which the blood flows. Arteries deliver oxygenated blood to the organs and tissues, while veins return deoxygenated blood back to the lungs, where they pick up more oxygen, and then to the heart. If any problem develops within the network of tubules, arterial or venous disease results.
When is leg pain not just a pain in the leg?
Sometimes leg pain is just a pulled muscle or a sprained ligament, but sometimes it’s caused by an underlying circulatory problem. For each problem, there are a number of characteristic symptoms to watch for, so you’ll know when you need to see your vein specialist.
Issues with arteries
Perhaps the biggest problem on the arterial end of things is called peripheral artery (or arterial) disease (PAD). It most commonly affects the lower extremities, and it’s estimated to affect over eight million people in the United States aged 40 years and older.
With PAD, the arteries carrying oxygenated blood become narrowed, decreasing blood flow to the extremities and robbing them of much-needed oxygen. It’s most often caused by atherosclerosis, where a sticky plaque builds up on the walls, preventing blood from flowing normally, but it can also develop from an injury that causes chronic inflammation in the blood vessels.
Many people with PAD exhibit mild or even no symptoms. However, some have lower leg pain when they walk (claudication); it can range anywhere from mildly annoying to so debilitating you can’t move.
Signs and symptoms of peripheral artery disease also include:
- Muscle cramping
- Weakness and/or numbness in the affected leg
- Lower leg cold to touch
- Sores on legs or feet (ulcers) that heal slowly, if at all
- A reddish skin color (venous stasis dermatitis)
- Hair loss on leg
- Shiny skin on the leg
- A weak pulse or none present in your legs or feet
Issues with veins
Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is the usual starting point for issues with the veins. The condition results when the veins stop working properly, and blood flow stalls. About 40% of US adults have some degree of CVI.
For blood to return back to your heart, your veins have to push against the pull of gravity. One way they do this is by clenching the calf muscles. A second way is by using a series of one-way valves to prevent backflow. If the valves are damaged, the blood backtracks and pools around the damaged valve. That leads to visual manifestations such as spider veins and varicose veins, the latter colored, ropy bulges on the skin. Varicose veins may be more of a cosmetic issue than a medical one for some people, but they can also be painful, itchy, or “heavy,” and lead to more serious problems, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Spider veins and varicose veins affect your surface veins, but deep vein thrombosis affects deep tissue veins, again usually in the legs. “Thrombus” means clot, so DVT results when a blood clot forms in the vein. The danger occurs if all or a piece of the clot breaks off and travels to the lungs, where it may cause a life-threatening condition called a pulmonary embolism (PE).
Not every person suffering from DVT has symptoms, but when they occur, they may include:
- Leg swelling
- Red or discolored skin
- Skin that’s warm to the touch
- Pain starting in your calf that feels like cramping or soreness
Treatments for poor blood circulation
At Heart Vascular & Leg Center, we develop treatment plans based on the underlying cause of your symptoms. Your plan may include one or more of the following:
- Compression stockings: improve circulation in legs
- Lifestyle modifications
- Medication to manage any underlying cardiac condition (e.g., atherosclerosis)
- Clot-busting medications
- Minimally invasive procedures: such as laser atherectomy for PAD
If you’ve noticed any signs of circulatory problems, it’s time to schedule a consultation with Heart Vascular & Leg Center. Call us at 661-230-9659, or book online today.
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