Knowing that possibly you're having circulation changes in your feet can be pretty unsettling. Before these changes become a major issue, there are certain signs or symptoms that one can experience. If you're interested in learning more, continue to scroll below.
Why Circulation Problems in Feet Can Cause Problems
Circulation problems in feet are collectively known by the medical term, Peripheral Vascular Disease. Peripheral Vascular Diseases can include disease in the veins of your feet or legs, or disease in the arteries of your feet and legs, known specifically as Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD).
Veins are blood vessels that bring blood from other parts of your body, back to your heart. In Peripheral Vascular Disease of the feet, the veins can't bring this blood back to the heart easily. Because of this, blood pools in the legs and feet.
Peripheral Arterial Disease is when specifically the arteries, a type of blood vessel responsible for bringing blood to your legs and feet from your heart are diseased and damaged. Arteries in your legs and feet, just like arteries in your heart can become blocked or clogged by plaque, which slows down or stops blood flow. When this process happens in your feet, many different signs can be seen. The last stage of Peripheral Arterial Disease is unfortunately gangrene, which is irreversible.
Your feet are a window into what is going on in the rest of your body. Circulation problems or changes in the feet are commonly seen in along with heart disease, stroke Congestive Heart Failure, COPD, and Kidney Disease. Nothing in the body happens in a vacuum.
9 Signs of Circulation Problems in Feet
1. Weak pulses to your legs and or feet
When you see your foot doctor or podiatrist, one of the first things we should do before starting treatment is do an exam. This includes feeling for pulses in your feet. If these pulses are weaker than normal, or faint, this is the strongest sign of circulation problems in feet.
As foot doctors, another way we check the circulation in your feet is through how quickly your capillaries (the tiniest of blood vessels that connect your arteries and veins) can refill with blood. If this takes longer than several seconds, this is also a sign of circulation problems in feet.
2. Hair growth on legs or toes slows down or stops
Another sign of circulation problems in feet is when hair growth slows down or stops altogether on your legs and toes. If you notice that over time, you are noticing less hair growing on your legs, you have to shave less than you once did, without treatments like laser or electrolysis, this is something to be mindful of.
3. Skin on legs and feet looks tight or shiny
Another sign of circulation problems in feet is shiny, almost tight-looking skin on your legs and feet. The skin looks shiny because of the lack of hair growth, and the skin also becomes thinner over time due to decreased blood flow, almost having a glass-like look, or even translucent. The skin also usually looks tight as well.
4. Skin color changes to your feet
One of the common signs of circulation problems in feet that people usually notice is feet discoloration, or that the skin color of their feet will change. In fair to light skin, the feet can look bright red, to dark red, burgundy, blue, or even purple, in dark skin, the feet can look burgundy to almost black.
5. Toenail growth slows down
If you have circulation problems in your feet, the roots of your toenails aren't getting the oxygen and nutrients they need to be healthy and grow, so their growth slows down dramatically. If you notice that over time, you don't need to trim your toenails as often as you once did, or they just don't look like they are growing at all, this is also something to be mindful of.
6. Cuts, wounds, or sores to feet or legs take much longer to heal
If you're noticing that any break in the skin takes much longer to heal than these injuries once did, this can be a sign of circulation problems in feet. If you're feet and legs aren't getting enough oxygen and nutrients to be healthy, it becomes a lot harder to heal from skin injuries, even the simplest ones like scrapes, blisters, or small cuts.
A wound or sore that takes too long to heal, becomes chronic and is known as an ulcer. A foot ulcer is very difficult to heal, can become infected, and even require you to be hospitalized, get IV antibiotics, or in severe cases of infection from a foot ulcer, require amputation to save your life.
7. Chronic swelling
Swelling that doesn't go away completely, and is in some way always in your legs and even feet is a sign of circulation problems in feet, specifically the most common sign of Peripheral Vascular Disease
8. Pain in legs, feet, or butt after walking a specific distance
Pain in the legs feet, or even the buttocks after walking or doing an activity after a specific amount of time is called intermittent claudication, and is seen in those with circulation problems in feet, specifically with PAD. Intermittent claudication pain happens because more oxygen and blood flow are required to your legs when you are active. Because of the circulation problems in your feet, they are not able to get the nutrients they need, and they then become starved of oxygen, which then causes pain.
Intermittent claudication doesn't have to be seen in high-energy activities, it can be seen in small activities like walking outside to your mailbox and walking to the kitchen, or bedroom. Intermittent claudication is a sign that the circulation problems in your feet are getting worse.
9. Pain in legs, feet, or butt, without any activity
Pain in the legs feet, or butt without any kind of physical activity, is known as rest pain and is seen in severe circulation problems in feet. As discussed above, the pain from intermittent claudication happens because certain activities require more blood flow and oxygen to the legs and feet than they can get due to circulation problems in the feet, the result of this being low oxygen levels, and pain.
In rest pain, even when you are in a recliner, lying down on a couch, or sleeping in bed, the leg pain and cramps are there. A telltale sign of rest pain is that it improves once the leg is danging down, forcing more blood into the leg and foot, than what it was getting being more elevated. This is a sign of advanced Peripheral Arterial Disease known as CLI or Critical Limb Ischemia and is not to be ignored.
Key Takeaways
Hopefully, you've learned many of the most common signs and symptoms of circulation problems in feet. As always, if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, make an appointment with a local podiatrist or foot doctor for further testing.
Schedule Your Appointment at Direct Podiatry Arizona
Are you in need of a podiatrist in Phoenix? My name is Dr. Tarr, and I am the owner of Direct Podiatry Arizona in Tempe. To view my available appointment times, click here.
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