If you have a problem with poor circulation in your legs, you might have trouble just walking out to the venue for the Friday Night Light It Up! Rail Jam Series at Blue Mountain beginning January 30. It is fun to watch snow boarders ollie up to various rails and plastic boxes on the course and impress you with their tricks and skills. However, if you can’t even make it to the course without leg pain, it can be very discouraging.
This condition, called claudication, occurs when plaques form in your arteries and narrow them, making it hard for the blood to get through, but take heart! While you will likely never get to the point where you can do extreme sports, there are definitely things you can do to improve your blood flow and be active without experiencing burning pain and weakness in your legs.
Common sense tells you to avoid things that contribute to problems with your circulation, like high cholesterol levels, smoking, and certain medications like pseudoephedrine (in many cold medicines) that contract the blood vessels. Also, as strange as it may seem, even though exercise can bring on the pain, it is also one of the best ways of eventually reducing it.
At Abbot Foot & Ankle Clinic we can help design an exercise program for you that will gradually improve your symptoms. Moving around works your muscles and gets them in shape, and the better their condition, the more efficiently they use oxygen—even when the supply is reduced from poor circulation. You need to exercise safely, so as to avoid injury to your legs and feet or development of other complications, but after a while you should be able to walk longer distances without pain.
Give our Collingwood, ON, office a call at (705) 444-9929 and set up an appointment. We will evaluate your condition to see exactly what the problem is and get you on the road to better foot health. We’ve been providing excellent foot care in the Owen Sound-Collingwood-Barrie region for many years and would love to help you improve your circulation—and your life!
Photo Credit: How Soon Ngu via UnSplash.com