1. What is Poor Leg Circulation?
2. Causes of Poor Circulation
3. Symptoms of Poor Circulation
4. Treatments for Poor Leg Circulation

The circulatory system delivers blood, oxygen, and nutrients to all cells in the body. When blood flow in your body is reduced, you may start to experience the symptoms of poor circulation in your legs and feet. These symptoms can include numbness and muscle cramping, and one of the most common areas for poor circulation is the legs. If you believe you are suffering from poor circulation symptoms, it is important to speak with your doctor and learn how to improve blood circulation.

Let’s look at the causes, symptoms, and treatments of poor leg circulation:

What is Poor Leg Circulation?

Poor leg circulation, or peripheral artery disease (PAD), is a circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to your limbs. While it commonly occurs in the legs, peripheral artery disease can also affect the peripheral arteries to the stomach, arms, and head. The arteries harden due to plaque buildup in the arteries and blood vessels, and this blocks the normal blood flow through the vessels and results in poor circulation in the legs.

While it isn’t a condition in itself, poor leg circulation may be a sign of larger health issues. If you’re experiencing the associated symptoms of poor blood circulation, it’s important to consult with your doctor, who can check for other health complications that may worsen over time. These can include obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure or cholesterol, and various heart and arterial conditions.

What Causes Poor Circulation in the Legs?

Poor leg circulation is often caused by a health condition called atherosclerosis. With atherosclerosis, fatty deposits (or plaque) build up and constrict your artery walls, reducing blood flow. It starts with damage to the endothelium, a thin layer of cells around the arteries, often caused by high blood pressure, smoking, or high cholesterol. When the endothelium is damaged, bad cholesterol enters the artery wall and leads to the formation of plaque.

As atherosclerosis progresses, plaque builds up and narrows the arteries in the legs. This limits the blood flow to your muscles.

Other factors that increase your risk for poor leg circulation include:

• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Increasing age, especially after age 50
• A family history of peripheral artery disease, heart disease, or stroke
• Lack of regular exercise
• Unhealthy diet

Those who smoke or have diabetes have a higher risk of poor leg circulation because of reduced blood flow.

What are the Symptoms of Poor Leg Circulation?

People with poor leg circulation may experience muscle pain and cramping in the legs. This leg pain is usually caused by physical activity, like walking, but disappears after a few minutes of rest. The location of the leg pain depends on where the narrowed artery is. It can also affect different muscle groups, such as the hip, thigh, foot, and calf.

Symptoms of poor blood circulation in legs include:

• Leg numbness or tingling
• Cramping in hip, thigh, or calf muscles after physical activity
• Discoloration in legs
• Coldness in lower leg or foot
• Sores on your toes, feet, or legs

If poor circulation in your legs continues to persist over time, you may feel leg pain even when you’re sitting or lying down.

What are the Treatments for Poor Leg Circulation?

Poor leg circulation is a common problem, especially as we age. Fortunately, there are simple habits and lifestyle changes you can make to reduce pain associated with poor circulation in legs. While it’s important to consult with your doctor, here are some ways you can improve circulation in your legs at home:

Exercise Regularly

Although it can be difficult for those with poor leg circulation, exercise has been shown to improve blood flow and reduce leg pain. A lack of physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, is one of main causes of poor leg circulation.

Walking is a great exercise for poor leg circulation because it promotes the production of new blood vessels in the legs. This helps improve blood circulation and exercise tolerance. You may feel some pain and cramping in the legs at first, so start off slow by walking for 30 minutes three to five times a week. Then, gradually increase the duration to 60 minutes. As you adjust to walking regularly, you’ll see improved circulation in the legs and increased blood flow the rest of your body.

Resistance training is another good way to improve blood circulation in your legs. It increases muscle strength by making your muscles work against weights or force. This can help reduce muscle pain and cramping from poor leg circulation. Examples of exercises include leg extensions, hamstring curls, leg press, and squats. Similar to walking, it’s important to start off slowly and then gradually increase your repetitions as you get used to regular training.

Eat Healthier

A healthy, well-balanced diet is an important part of preventing plaque buildup in your arteries. Eating healthfully can reduce your risk of high blood pressure, obesity, and high cholesterol, which can all contribute to poor leg circulation and other serious health issues. Include more antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, and less sodium. Other ideas to incorporate include:

• Whole grains: great source of fiber, and can decrease cholesterol levels and improve circulation
• Fish: contain omega-3 fatty acids, which help decrease blood clot formation, cholesterol levels, and plaque buildup
• Garlic: decreases cholesterol buildup in the arteries of the legs
• Citrus fruits: high in vitamin C, which strengthens capillary walls and prevents plaque buildup
• Cayenne pepper: increases metabolic rate and strengthens arteries and blood vessels

Use Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy uses water to treat various health problems, including poor leg circulation. With hydrotherapy, the body is exposed to alternating hot and cold water. The body reacts to hot and cold water by expanding and constricting the arteries and veins. This promotes increased blood flow and circulation, and reduced sensitivity to pain.

Practice hydrotherapy in your bath by relaxing in a quick, 15-minute warm bath. This will help expand your blood vessels to improve blood flow to your legs. Don’t stay in for too long to avoid overheating. Walk-in tubs are great for whole-body hydrotherapy because they offer a deep soak, maximizing the benefits of hydrotherapy. Many walk-in tubs are equipped with a whirlpool or airbath feature for a relaxing and enjoyable hydrotherapy session.

American Standard’s ComfortSeries™️ Accessible & Walk-in Tubs are equipped with RevitaJet™ Whole Body Hydrotherapy System with 44 air and water jets that are strategically placed to create the ultimate at-home hydrotherapy experience in the comfort of your bathtub.  The jets can be adjusted and positioned to target any specific sore spots or wherever you feel your body most needs a massage.  This at-home massage therapy can be incredibly useful for all ages, but especially seniors who have limited mobility.  The ComfortSeries™️ Accessible Tub is safe and easy to get in and out of, and the jets are a therapeutic way to receive a daily massage for your whole body.  The massaging jets can target the back, legs, wrist and feet, which are common pain points for people with arthritis.  Whether you elevate the water temperature or stick with your usual heat, incorporating massage into your hydrotherapy session will further stimulate blood circulation in legs and feet, helping you feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

Poor leg circulation is a common occurrence, and making a few life changes can help alleviate the symptoms of poor blood circulation in your legs. If you have any concerns in regards to your blood circulation, meet with your doctor to discuss treatment. For more information about the benefits of a walk-in tub to improve leg circulation, contact American Standard Walk-In Tubs Canada today.

This year on Valentine’s Day, we’re dedicating this post to improving heart health. The best way to stay healthy is having a smart lifestyle — especially as we get older! Here are a few fun activities you can engage on Hearts Day to make sure you’re keeping your lifestyle healthy, today and every day.

Fun Activities to Maintain a Healthy Heart

1. Get Moving

Aerobic physical activity or cardio is a great option for seniors looking to boost heart health. And the best part? You don’t have to jog! Cardio is easy to do and inexpensive. Plus, it’s a great way to spend family time. Could a neighborhood walk with your kids really improve your physical health? Yes!

To get the ball rolling, here are some moderate-intensity exercises for your heart and lungs that you can do to improve heart health.

• Brisk walking
• Tennis
• Swimming or water aerobics
• Cycling
• Hiking

Just remember to speak to your doctor before you start an exercise program.

2. Spend Time With Your Pet

Pets have been proven to reduce stress, which is one of the leading causes of heart health problems. Pet owners demonstrate lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, which reduces their risk of heart attack. During American Heart Month, give your pet extra cuddles, take a walk for some aerobic physical activity, or adopt a furry friend. Your heart will definitely appreciate it. Woof!

3. Treat Yourself to Some Chocolate

Believe it or not, one of the yummiest ways to improve your heart health is by eating chocolate. Although nutritionists agree that dark chocolate has the most health benefits, there is a study showing that all kinds of chocolate may help lower your risk of heart problems. If dark chocolate is your favorite sweet treat, you’re in luck. Dark chocolate contains less sugar, a higher ratio of cocoa, and more antioxidants. Eating chocolate helps you balance your cholesterol!

4. Have a Laugh

Go to see a comedy show, laugh with friends, or watch funny videos! Laughter tends to reduce blood pressure and a sense of humor is even better for your health. There is research showing the greater your sense of humor is, the lower the risk you have of developing heart disease. Laughing at humorous things also helps battle against distressing emotions like depression, anxiety, and anger, all of which increase the likelihood of heart problems. The saying “Laughter is the best medicine” truly does hit home with this heart healthy activity.

5. Eat Breakfast

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it turns out that this morning meal can help you for years to come. A study of over 4,000 participants found that those who get less than five percent of their daily calories from breakfast (100 of the 2,000 recommended for women) were more likely to have clogged and damaged arteries than those who eat a high-energy breakfast (over 400 calories for women). Grab your fresh fruit, whip up some eggs, and improve your heart health with a tasty breakfast every day.

6. Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Blissful, uninterrupted sleep is a necessary activity we all enjoy after a long day. You wake up feeling rested and energized after a good night’s sleep and your body benefits from it, too. Not getting enough sleep can lead to negative side effects. According to a 2017 study of nearly 13,000 adults, researchers found that those experiencing poor sleep had a 71% higher risk of ischemic heart disease and a 45% higher risk of stroke. There’s an easy solution, folks. Get those eight hours of shut eye and you’ll improve your heart health, as well as your memory and concentration.

7. Have a Hot Bath

Soaking in a hot bath is an effective way to relax your mind and rejuvenate your body. Bathing has also been found to reduce stress and improve your heart health. Recent studies have shown that people who take at least five hot baths a week have significantly lower markers of atherosclerosis and cardiac loading. Basically, five baths a week can improve your cardiovascular system, including circulation.

For today and the months to come, enjoy a daily bath with all the fun add-ons like candles, bubble bath products, and music. Just make sure you’re staying safe in the bathroom. A walk-in tub is a great way to increase ease-of-use and lower your chances of falling.

There’s no better time to start taking care of your health than Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t have to be a chore either. Improve your heart health with these fun activities that can help you be healthier and happier for the years to come.

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Written by on July 18, 2017

Have you ever taken a long soak in a hot bath at the end of the day? If so, you may already understand how water can be used to treat physical symptoms and ailments. This is the basis of hydrotherapy. It helps ease sore muscles and alleviate pain, while also providing restorative and relaxation benefits.

Hydrotherapy is the use of water in treatment for conditions such as arthritis or partial paralysis. With hydrotherapy, water can be incorporated in one of three ways: steam, like what’s used in a sauna; ice packs; or hot tubs or whirlpools. But how does it work, exactly? First, it’s important to understand the effects of water temperature. Cool water constricts blood vessels to help with inflammation, while hot water dilates blood vessels, which helps to reduce stiffness. In many hydrotherapy sessions, the user will alternate between a cool and hot water tub to help improve circulation and boost hormonal function.

Hydrotherapy Isn’t Just for Athletes

Many athletes turn to hydrotherapy to help loosen up tight muscles or ease pain after a grueling workout, game, or race. But it’s not only the pros that benefit from this type of care.

Aging doesn’t have to mean inactivity, and it’s important for seniors to continue with regular exercise. As the days grow longer, you may spend more time outdoors and become increasingly active. Neighborhood walks, gardening, and tai chi are all good outdoor activities for low-impact exercise to help stay healthy and fit. However, even a few hours of extra activity can cause sore muscles or unexpected aches. This is when to take advantage of the therapeutic benefits that come from a walk-in tub.

Hydrotherapy is also commonly incorporated into physical therapy treatment plans. According to Nurse.com, caregivers believe the warm temperature of water mixed with the buoyancy helps their patients make better progress in their physical therapy. Hydrotherapy is often used on its own, but sometimes will be used to complement other types of therapies, depending on a person’s treatment plan. Some of the common ailments that hydrotherapy can be used for include:

• Arthritis;
• Fibromyalgia;
• Headaches;
• Joint pain;
• Poor circulation;
• Sciatica; and more.

Hydrotherapy at Home

If you own a walk-in tub, you have direct access to the powers of hydrotherapy right in your own home, whenever you may need rehabilitation or self-care. Moreover, with our walk-in tubs you can customize your bathing experience however you’d like.

Our Revitajet® Whole Body Hydrotherapy System is made up of 44 strategically placed water and air jets to help you concentrate on the areas that need it most. You can direct the flow on your lower back, legs, or anywhere that’s feeling extra sore or tense. Or, you can choose to have all of them running at once for a full, whirlpool-type experience.

The healing powers of water are heightened when implemented through hydrotherapy, and this is just one of the benefits and features of our walk-in tubs. It’s an investment that will continue to benefit your health, safety, and well-being!