Circulatory System And Your Feet

If you are going to understand and care for your feet you first need to understand the circulatory system. The circulatory system is the body’s system that is designed to carry the blood throughout the entire body.

The blood is filled with oxygen and nutrients that the body needs. Not only does this system distribute oxygen and nutrients, but it also picks up waste materials as well so they can be expelled from the body, such as carbon dioxide.

Believe it or not, your body actually has more than 60,000 miles of blood vessels contained in the circulatory system. Around 4000 gallons of blood is pumped by your heart every single day as well.

In one year, the adult heart will beat around 30 million times as well. Interestingly enough, while a three year old only has about two pints of blood in their entire body, an adult usually has about five times more than that.

If you listen to your heart, the beating sound that you hear is actually the sound of the valves closing as they are pushing blood through the various chambers of the heart.

This is an extremely important part of your body, although many people fail to appreciate it. If you happen to suffer from a disease that affects your circulatory system, more than likely you have a variety of other problems as well.

One type of problem in the circulatory system that may affect your feet is poor leg circulation. This occurs when the blood flow to your legs is restricted, and usually this problem is caused by what is known as Peripheral Vascular Disease.

Peripheral Vascular Disease can either involved the blood vessels that carry the blood to the heart (veins), or they can also involve the blood vessels that carry the blood away from your heart as well (arteries). It the disease affects the arteries, then it is usually called Peripheral Artery Disease.

In many cases the cause of this problem is plaque that builds up on the walls of the arteries, which makes it hard for the blood to flow through as it should. This causes the circulation to be very poor. Usually it takes some time for this plaque to build up, so older people are more likely to be at risk for this problem. There are some very serious problems that can occur when your legs and feet do not get the blood that they need.

Symptoms Of A Poor Circulation

A few symptoms of poor circulation in you legs and feet include:
- Fatigue or cramping in your feet and legs that goes away with rest.
- Pain and cramping in legs and feet when you sit for a long time.
- Feet and legs falling asleep when you are sleeping or sitting.
- Feet that swell, ache, or feel tired.
- Cold legs and feet.

There are millions of Americans that deal with poor circulation, and if you suffer from it you need to make sure that you take the proper care of your feet and seek the medical attention you need.

 

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