These special socks, also called compression stockings, apply pressure to the lower legs to help support proper blood flow. Maintain a healthy blood pressure. High blood pressure can damage blood vessels and adversely affect circulation. Exercise regularly. Getting exercise on a regular basis provides a wide range of benefits, from improving overall circulation to helping lower high blood pressure. Manage your blood sugar. Allowing your blood glucose to be outside the normal range can contribute to poor circulation in the feet.
Watch your cholesterol. Getting the right amount of good cholesterol, bad cholesterol and triglycerides is helpful for people with diabetes. But there are also less extreme strategies. SKM: manual flexbanner.
Toggle navigation. Thank you! Learn more. Malaria Vaccine Approved by W. Is there anything I can do improve the blood flow to my feet? A: Rest assured, by getting and keeping your blood glucose under control and practicing preventive measures with regular foot care and annual or more frequently if needed leg and foot exams by your health-care provider, amputation can be avoided in many instances.
The pain in your legs and feet may be due in part to poor circulation but may also be due to diabetic neuropathy, nerve damage from higher than normal blood glucose levels over time.
It is common for diabetic neuropathy to cause numbness, pain, tingling, and other symptoms in the legs and feet. Even though you were recently diagnosed with diabetes, it is likely that your blood glucose has been elevated for some time.
As your blood glucose levels become closer to normal, the pain may gradually decrease. Keeping your blood glucose close to normal and caring for your feet can help improve circulation and delay further complications.
You should take off your shoes and socks at every visit to remind your doctor to check your feet. Look at your feet daily, using a mirror or magnifying glass to examine the tops, bottoms, and sides. Seek medical attention if you spot a problem. Madhu Gadia, M. Marion J. Franz, M. Diabetes can reduce blood circulation and damage the nerves to the feet.
Ask your doctor to examine your feet regularly for any evidence of nerve damage or poor circulation. Foot problems can be avoided if you take care of your feet and act quickly if you have a problem. On this page: Foot care is particularly important if you have diabetes. Foot problems are a common complication of this condition. Your feet can be affected in two ways. Blood supply may be affected, resulting in slower healing.
You may also lose some feeling in your feet due to nerve damage. A person whose nerves are damaged by diabetes may not realise they have minor cuts or blisters, which can lead to ulcers. Foot problems can be avoided if you take care of your feet and act quickly when you have a problem. Get your feet checked at least once a year by a doctor or podiatrist to detect problems early and help prevent complications.
Circulation in people with diabetes Poor blood circulation can affect the blood supply to your feet. When this is reduced, cuts and sores may not heal. An early sign of poor circulation to the feet may be pain or cramps in the backs of your legs when walking. Circulation problems can be caused by hardening or narrowing of arteries as they become clogged up. Common causes include: smoking high blood fats raised blood glucose levels.
How to improve circulation for people with diabetes Suggestions to improve your blood circulation include: Control your blood fat levels. Keep blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible.
Smoking causes spasm and narrowing of blood vessels. Smokers have more heart attacks, strokes and circulation problems than non-smokers. Exercise daily. A brisk walk will help keep the blood flowing around your body. When blood flow to a specific part of your body is reduced, you may experience the symptoms of poor circulation. Poor circulation is most common in your extremities, such as your legs and arms. Instead, it results from other health issues.
Several conditions can lead to poor circulation. The most common causes include obesity, diabetes, heart conditions, and arterial issues.
The most common symptoms of poor circulation include: Each condition that might lead to poor circulation can also cause unique symptoms. For example, people with peripheral artery disease may have erectile dysfunction along with typical pain, numbness, and tingling.
There are several different causes of poor circulation. Peripheral artery disease Peripheral artery disease PAD can lead to poor circulation in your legs. PAD is a circulatory condition that causes narrowing of the blood vessels and arteries. In an associated condition called atherosclerosis, arteries stiffen due to plaque buildup in the arteries and blood vessels.
Both conditions decrease blood flow to your extremities and can result in pain. Over time, reduced blood flow in your extremities can cause: numbness tingling nerve damage tissue damage If left untreated, reduced blood flow and plaque in your carotid arteries may result in a stroke. Your carotid arteries are the major blood vessels that deliver blood to your brain. It is very important for people with diabetes to take scrupulous care of their feet.
Wearing special socks is part of this good foot care. It is very common for people with diabetes to injure their feet for several reasons. Foot injury in people with diabetes is very serious because it can lead to amputations of the lower extremeties. In fact, diabetes is one of the leading causes of limb amputations. The diabetic foot is susceptible to injury because one of the complications of diabetes is diabetic neuropathy which often manifests as a sensory neuropathy.
This sensory neuropathy prevents diabetics from knowning when their foot has been injured due to trauma from stubbing their toe, bruising from bumping into things, burns from unknowingly putting feet into bath water that is too hot, foot ulcers from wearing shoes that are too tight, etc.
There is a difference between a regular foot examination and a comprehensive one. In the comprehensive examination, the provider will use a 10 mm fishing line type filament to test sensation on different areas of your feet. They will ask you to close your eyes, and tell them where they touched you with the monofilament. You will indicate by referring to your toes or other parts as you deem right.
You may be asked questions about your overall foot care practices, and the examiner may provide some foot care practice demonstration or instruction to you. You should follow all foot care recommendations.
If you have thickened toenails, it may require you to visit more often and have your nails clipped or special treatments. At any rate, taking care of your feet when you have diabetes should be of paramount importance to you.
Keep blood pressure and cholesterol under control, as well as blood sugars and A1C. Keep all your doctor check ups and wear diabetic socks, checking your feet daily and reporting any injuries or anything you are concerned about.
Angioplasty is one medical treatment that can treat arteries when they become narrowed or blocked from blood flowing freely. A catheter is placed in the artery and a balloon is used to unblock the problem area in the artery. In worse cases, a stent may be placed in the blocked artery and left to keep blood flowing.
Coronary bypass surgery can improve leg circulation if the blockage is not too severe. Exercise is a great way to get the blood pumping and thus improving circulation to your feet. You will want to do a cardiovascular exercise that gets your heart rate up such as biking, walking, running, swimming or taking an exercise aerobics class. Walking is a great exercise that most people can do with no problems.
A doctor or podiatrist can diagnose you and determine if you have poor circulation or peripheral neuropathies that place you at increased risk for nonhealing ulcers and other problems related to poor circulation. Massaging the foot area can help to open circulation. Daily massaging of your own feet may work to help increase circulation. You could also go for a professional massage if you so choose.
To massage your feet, lay down on the couch or bed and place your feet up on pillows or at a degree angle above your heart level. This will also help to improve blood flow to the area. Work your way from the middle to the end of your toes. While standing, press your toes down and your heels up toward the sky.
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