Circulatory disorders of the legs: causes and treatment methods

Circulatory problems in the legs can signal diseases that are latent and that a person does not even suspect. What signs can indicate circulatory problems in the legs and what are the causes of these abnormalities?

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Circulation problems - well-being problems

When blood circulation in the legs is disrupted, a person may have major problems with well-being. Cramps may occur suddenly. Out of the blue, at any time of the day, cramps can overtake a person.

There may be a lowered (most often) or significantly lowered temperature of the legs and hands at the same time (doctors call this "cold legs" or "cold hands"). As a result of poor blood circulation, spider veins from small veins, networks of these veins may appear on the legs - this already indicates the initial stage of varicose veins. And the reason is poor blood circulation in the legs.

Hypodynamia

Why do problems with blood circulation in the legs occur? First of all, it is a sedentary lifestyle, when blood stagnates in the veins and they become cold, can quickly get tired, hurt. Are you familiar with the situation when you are constantly cold, but as soon as you quickly walk or run, you want to immediately take off your clothes because it is hot? No wonder: you accelerated the blood flow and thus got rid of the syndrome of cold feet and hands.

What to do?

Naturally, go to the gym or simply replace sitting in one place with walking and jogging. This way, you can activate blood flow without any medications, and at the same time cope with excess weight.

Metabolic disorders

This is a serious cause of circulatory problems. It is not so easy to cope with. When a person has endocrine disorders, he may also be obese or simply overweight. And since the legs bear the greatest weight load of all body parts, they carry the weight of the body, the blood flow may slow down, the circulatory system may not withstand constant loads, and health problems arise: leg swelling, varicose veins, thrombophlebitis and other leg diseases.

What to do?

Have your hormonal levels checked and undergo hormone replacement therapy if necessary. During this time, for more effective treatment, you should do moderate exercise and exercises to strengthen your feet and ankles.

Such exercises will strengthen the walls of blood vessels, make the legs more resilient, and relieve the load from them. Swimming is an ideal means of relieving heaviness from the legs (in particular, for strengthening the circulatory system).

More about cold feet syndrome

It often happens that even in the heat a person has cold feet and hands. Firstly, it is very unpleasant, especially when making love or simply shaking hands. Secondly, you should be wary, because the syndrome of cold feet and hands does not arise out of nowhere - it is a consequence of diseases that are unnoticed in the body. In particular, about the shortcomings of the circulatory system and its poor functioning.

Cold feet syndrome can also manifest itself as increased sensitivity of the extremities to cold. Even with a slight cold snap, a person suffers because his toes and feet are very cold, and this causes great inconvenience. Additional warming means are needed that other people do not use: insulated shoes, super-warm socks, constant hot tea or coffee, and working in a cool room is out of the question.

Causes of Cold Feet

When a person has insufficient elasticity of the vein walls, the veins are thin, the blood flows through them slowly, he can suffer from cold feet syndrome. As soon as the ambient temperature drops, the vessels contract, which slows down the blood flow. And blood is a very important substance in the human body: as soon as it slows down its circulation, the temperature of the whole body can increase so that the person can warm up. That is, the natural thermoregulators of the human body are turned on. And as soon as the legs get too cold, here you go - a cold.

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The reason for cold feet is also in their structure

A person with poorly developed leg muscles has a much weaker blood flow than someone who strengthens their muscles. That's why their legs are colder.

Anatomically, the legs are designed in such a way that they lack sufficient fatty tissue under the skin - a depot created to warm the body. But the skin of the legs occupies a large surface. That's why the legs become cold. Poor blood flow can also be due to the natural thinness of the veins and the weakness of their walls.

Smoking can also contribute to poor blood supply, as it increases the fragility of blood vessels, which causes peripheral arteries to become narrower. And if you give your legs an increased load or deprive them of movement altogether, the blood flow to the legs and arms is reduced even more in order to increase it in the body and thus maintain the thermal balance of the body.

There are other reasons for cold feet - this is oxygen starvation of arteries due to colds: bronchitis, pneumonia. This can also be deformation and damage to arteries, as well as Raynaud's syndrome (compression of nerve bundles).

If a person also wears tight shoes, tight tights or socks, or is in the cold for a long time, poor blood flow and cold feet syndrome are further aggravated. In addition, hypothermia of the feet also leads to tonsillitis, cystitis, bronchitis, and even pneumonia. This is especially dangerous for women: their fertility (ability to conceive and give birth to a child) may be impaired.

The first symptoms of poor circulation in the legs are not only coldness in the extremities, but also red or dark red nodules on the legs and arms. They are called chills. These nodules itch a lot and can hurt.

What is needed for general strengthening of leg blood vessels?

If your relatives suffered from circulatory disorders, you should take this into account and be careful, take care of the health of your own feet. And if you have signs of circulatory disorders in the legs, such as swelling, vascular stacks, increased fatigue of the legs, pain in the feet, you should do prevention even more.

Foot care products – these should be used to make the skin elastic and the walls of the leg blood vessels stronger. These can be soothing balms, ointments, sprays against excessive foot sweating, bactericidal powders, massage gels.

During pregnancy, the legs bear increased load, and a woman may have impaired blood circulation in the legs. Then you will need a bandage, tights with a compression effect, special strengthening gymnastics for the legs, comfortable orthopedic shoes.

A busy work schedule. If a person's job requires a lot of walking (couriers, postmen), running (military, athletes), standing (teachers, hairdressers), sitting (office workers), then unloading is a must after a working day. Otherwise, your legs will not last long and will "thank" you with increased fatigue, joint and tendon diseases, and bunions. Therefore, you need to constantly monitor your sitting posture (no "crossing your legs!"), wear high-heeled shoes for no more than 4 hours without a break, and do not wear tight tights or socks. Shoes should not constrict the foot with tight lacing, fasteners, or straps - this will slow down the blood flow and contribute to swelling of the legs.

Knowing how to unload means knowing how to alternate different types of activity: sitting, walking, standing, running. Then your legs will bear a reasonable load and will not get as tired as with a monotonous regime. When you come home from work, every day do a simple unloading exercise: lie on your back. Throw your legs up above the level of your heart and lie like that for 10-15 minutes. The blood flow will be unloaded, it will not be as intense.

With flat feet and heavy load on the legs - massage helps very well. It can be done. Unless the doctor advises you to refrain from massage for now. You can do a general foot massage, self-massage, massage with hot stones for shins and feet, massage with a therapeutic broom in a bathhouse, massage in a salon after a pedicure, as well as an elementary, but very effective massage of each toe and calves. This will significantly improve blood circulation, make the feet and toes more flexible, improve the elasticity of the joints of the legs.

Tips for Poor Leg Circulation

These methods can be used in combination or individually. But complex therapy is, of course, more effective.

Alcohol compress – helps improve blood circulation in the legs. It can be done very simply. Wet socks with alcohol and put them on your feet. You can take them off when the alcohol evaporates and the socks dry. This simple method will improve blood circulation in the feet, protect them from the cold if a person is frozen.

Magnetic insoles are quite effective in combating poor blood circulation in the legs. They are sold in pharmacies and have a good effect on the feet. Magnetic insoles can be used for 4-5 hours a day or more, you can even sleep in them. This is how it is done: before going to bed, put magnetic insoles in your socks and sleep in them. And in the morning, take them off. During the night, your legs rest, and blood circulation in them is restored.

Menu for good blood circulation

In order for blood circulation to be active, for the blood to be less thick and to flow more quickly through the vessels, you need to include special foods in your menu.

How to make the right menu for good blood circulation? First of all, you need to include in your diet foods that stimulate blood circulation in your legs. These are carrots, rice and buckwheat cereals cooked as porridge, apples, red fish, beets. These foods will cleanse your blood vessels of cholesterol.

By the way, cholesterol plaques appear precisely because of fatty foods, which should be dosed wisely, not overeaten. When the blood becomes too thick because of fatty foods, it cannot move through the vessels quickly enough, depriving them of oxygen and nutrients, which is why the legs get cold.

It is very good to drink drinks with ginger in the composition from time to time. Half a teaspoon of ginger, one teaspoon of honey, black pepper on the tip of a knife - pour all this with a glass of boiled hot water. Such a drink will warm and stimulate blood flow in the legs. And also will help not to get sick from hypothermia.

Red and black pepper in the diet are also good for blood, as are mustard and horseradish. They stimulate blood circulation, help fight cold feet syndrome, and prevent excessive blood thickening.

Raw garlic, garlic in capsules or in dry powder form actively improves blood circulation.

Ginkgo biloba is an exotic plant that also helps against slow blood circulation. This drug is sold in pharmacies.

Hawthorn infusion not only saturates the blood with vitamins, but also helps fight colds and strengthen the immune system. Pure hawthorn infusion can be taken 2 times a day - in the morning and in the evening 20 minutes before breakfast. You can add a complex composition of cinnamon and ginger to hawthorn, this will further enrich the blood with useful substances and help strengthen the immune system.

Watermelon is very effective in improving blood quality. It contains lycopene, which helps enrich the blood with useful substances. Lycopene also reduces the level of bad cholesterol in the blood, helps activate blood circulation. So eat more of them in the watermelon season for your health. Each small slice of watermelon contains as many as 14 milligrams of lycopene.

Ginseng is a plant that is useful not only for potency. This ancient remedy will help the blood in the legs move more actively. Ginseng, taken in a vitamin complex or tinctures, will help the blood flow move faster, ensure its influx to the legs. At the same time, the overall tone of the body increases significantly - you become much more cheerful.

Other remedies for cold feet

If a person has cold feet syndrome, and such that it is accompanied by chills (nodules on the fingers), you can use an ointment with calendula in the composition or an ointment with red capsicum. Such ointments can be applied to the feet if their skin is not damaged.

Steaming your feet is a centuries-old and effective way to improve blood circulation. It is also a good way to reduce high blood pressure. To make this procedure even more effective, you can add a tablespoon of dry mustard powder (very effective for colds), rosemary or oregano (these herbs are sold in pharmacies) to the hot water. Another option for such a hot bath is to add ground black pepper with crushed ginger. This remedy greatly improves blood circulation, tones blood vessels, and strengthens them.

Hot compresses are a good way to activate blood circulation in the legs before going out into the cold. A compress soaked in hot water should be applied to the feet. Hold for 3 minutes - apply ice. Then again - a hot compress for three minutes. This method is great for activating blood flow. The second option is to alternate hot and cold showers. This will improve blood circulation throughout the body, including the legs.

You should not squeeze the blood vessels. This will lead to circulatory problems. You should not get carried away with tight sportswear, too tight leggings, tights, stockings, socks. If you wear such clothes constantly, they can cause the risk of blocking the blood vessels, because they squeeze them and prevent normal blood flow.

Help your blood vessels by buying special socks. These are not ordinary socks, but elastic ones. They can be put on when you have to sit in one place for a long time and when the blood flow is especially loaded. This situation can occur during a flight. These socks are made of special elastic materials. They can be bought at a pharmacy. They help the blood not to stagnate, the ankles and feet are unloaded even when a person is sitting in one place. They reduce the risk of thrombosis and prevent vascular blockages.

Correct sitting posture. This is a necessary condition for the blood flow in the legs not to be disturbed. The feet should be on the floor, not dangling above the floor. You can slightly put one leg forward, and let the other stand straight. You cannot sit for more than 45 minutes in one place - you must walk around and change the position of your feet.

The use of essential oils improves blood flow very well. Aromatherapy is a recognized means not only for improving blood circulation, but also for a good mood. And if you use a massage with essential oils, it will help activate blood circulation in the legs.

Here is a good recipe for aroma massage. Mix ground black pepper and 3 drops of rosemary oil. Add olive oil, also 3 drops, and massage your feet with this mixture. The only thing is that you cannot use such a massage with rosemary during pregnancy, especially in the first weeks. This can increase the risk of miscarriage.

Reflexotherapy is a great way to deal with foot diseases and poor blood flow. Once a specialist massages the right points on your feet, blood flow will improve significantly. It is also a good preventative measure for foot diseases.