Poor circulation of the legs is a disease that affects millions of people every year, and is a top cause of leg amputations next to diabetes complications. Diabetes has its own form of poor circulation in the guise of decreased width of small and microscopic blood vessels, but it is also a primary risk factor for blockage of the larger blood vessels that supply circulation to the legs and feet. Other risk factors include high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, obesity, and heart disease.
Poor circulation, also called peripheral arterial disease (PAD), can lead to starvation of foot tissue, and can eventually cause skin death, gangrene, and need for an amputation of the toes, foot, or leg. It is treatable with minimally invasive artery 'cleaning' procedures in its early and moderate stages, and with bypass procedures in advanced cases.
The symptoms of poor circulation are sometimes varied, but include some combination of specific signs in the feet and lower legs that can include thin skin, loss of foot hair, dark reddish or blue/black color to the toes or bottom of the feet, skin that physically feels cool to the touch, and calf pain after walking a short distance. These signs in any combination could indicate poor blood flow to the feet, and should prompt further evaluation, including noninvasive arterial doppler studies to measure the flow in the arteries from the thighs to the feet. This painless and simple test has saved many legs from a preventable amputation, and should be part of a screening process for any diabetic with even one symptom and any of the other above risk factors.
Until next time,
Scott R. Kilberg DPM
www.inpodiatrygroup.com - foot doctor and podiatrist in Indianapolis
myachingfoot.blogspot.com - information on foot pain
YouTube videos on foot disease and foot injuries
A foot doctor in Indianapolis Noblesville Fishers Carmel Westfield and Fortville Indiana.
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