Poor circulation, once though to be an ailment that primarily affects the elderly, is a more common problem than once believed. Due to a number of different lifestyle and dietary factors that are becoming more common, poor circulation is being observed in younger and younger people, sometimes as early as twenty years old.
The most commonly seen form of poor circulation is known as peripheral vascular disease. This is a general term that refers to circulation problems in legs and feet, and can be caused by any number of different conditions. This is usually the result of the hardening of the arteries in the lower legs as a result of an unhealthy lifestyle or diabetes, but can also be the result of chronic venous insufficiency, in which the valves in the blood vessels of the legs have been damaged and are unable to pump the blood back into the body. Whatever the cause of your poor circulation is, however, the symptoms and treatment will remain largely the same.
The symptoms of poor circulation are, for the most part, easy to identify. Following, you will find the most common.
Poor blood circulation may not seem at first to be a terribly important ailment because it does not produce any immediate complications or visible impact on good health, but if it is left untreated for an extended period of time, the potential consequences may be severe. Redness in the skin can eventually develop into the skin breaking down, which ultimately could result in blood clots or even lower limb amputation if poor circulation is not adequately treated.
Photo Credit: Sanja Gjenero
When it comes to treating poor circulation at home, there are many different things you can do. Blood circulation problems should be treated like any serious ailment, and you should consult your doctor when it comes to working out a course of treatment. Still, there are some very simple things you can do to improve leg circulation problems on your own, including:
