13 Common Signs You Have Poor Blood Circulation Without Even Knowing It

By rjoachim | January 29, 2023
Poor circulation happens when something interferes with your complex, far-reaching circulatory system that delivers blood, oxygen and nutrients to your entire body. When your heart, veins, arteries, capillaries and other blood vessels are healthy, they can give your cells everything they need in an efficient way. It’s a continuous cycle of bringing oxygen and other necessities to your cells and taking away waste from your cells.Problems happen when something goes wrong with some part of the delivery system or the valves that control which direction your blood goes. Like a delivery driver who runs into problems and delays along his route, blood can hit detours and roadblocks along the way.
Obstacles in your blood vessels make it hard for blood to get through, especially when trying to reach the parts of your body that are the longest distance away from your heart ― your fingers and toes. The biggest problem with poor circulation is that your cells aren’t getting as much oxygen as they need. When cells don’t have the oxygen they need, they can’t function well.People who are older than age 40, are overweight, have diabetes and don’t get much exercise are more likely to have poor circulation.Poor circulation can cause a number of symptoms, including:
Muscles that hurt or feel weak when you walk.Conditions that reduce your blood flow can give you bad circulation, such as:
Smoking: Chemicals damage your blood vessels, putting you at a higher risk of atherosclerosis.
High blood pressure: When your blood is pushing against your blood vessel walls with a lot of force, it can weaken them. This makes it harder for blood to move through them.
Atherosclerosis: Plaque (which contains fat and cholesterol) piles up inside your arteries, limiting blood flow.
Diabetes: Having too much glucose in your blood can harm your blood vessels.
Deep vein thrombosis: Your body makes a blood clot in your leg, which reduces blood flow.
Pulmonary embolism: A blood clot in your leg breaks off and goes to your lung, which keeps blood from getting to your lung.
Peripheral artery disease: Plaque inside your peripheral arteries cuts down on the amount of blood getting to your legs and feet.
A “pins and needles” sensation on your skin.
Pale or blue skin color.
Cold fingers or toes.
Numbness.
Chest pain.
Swelling.
Veins that bulge.Having obesity can put you at risk for medical problems that slow down your blood flow, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.Your provider will want:
Physical exam.
Medical history.
Tests.Your provider may order tests that include:
Doppler ultrasound.
Segmental Doppler pressure testing.
Ankle-brachial index (ABI) test.
Angiography.
Computed tomography (CT) scan.
Stress test.
Blood tests.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21882-poor-circulation
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