Diabetes can lead to a number of different health issues, but if it leads to the onset of peripheral artery disease or neuropathy, blood flow to the feet can become impaired. Poor blood circulation to your feet can put you at an increased risk for infection, delayed wound healing and symptoms like numbness or sensory issues. If you have diabetes, it’s imperative that you work to maintain healthy circulation to your feet.
Maintaining Or Improving Circulation In Diabetics
Here are a number of ways you can work to improve or maintain healthy blood flow to your feet.
1. Exercise – Exercise and regular activity is likely the best thing you can do to promote healthy blood flow throughout your body. Activity gets the heart pumping harder, which will make is easier for healthy blood to reach your extremities. You don’t even need to pursue overly strenuous activities to reap the benefits of exercise. Going for a walk or swimming laps in the pool can really help to boost your circulation.
2. Elevate – Getting your feet up above your heart level can make it easier for blood and other fluids to drain away from the legs, limiting swelling and promoting circulation. You can elevate your legs by leaning back in a recliner or by putting a pillow underneath your feet when you’re in bed. If your legs are feeling heavy or swollen, try to elevate them for 15-20 minutes.
3. Compression Stockings – Compression stockings help to open up blood vessels in the legs and feet by applying gentle pressure to the skin above these areas. Compression clothing can also keep blood from pooling in your legs. This is a great complimentary option, but it shouldn’t be your only treatment for improving your circulation.
4. Ice/Heat – Cold and hot therapy can help to manipulate fluids in and out of specific areas of your body. Cold therapy can constrict blood vessels and limit fluid buildup in a specific area, while heat can open up blood vessels and make it easier for fluid to come to or move away from certain areas. Play around with ice and heat to see what works best for your diabetic feet.
5. Consult With A Specialist – Diabetes affects people in different ways, so it always pays to have a conversation with your healthcare provider or a foot specialist in order to get some individualized recommendations for improving your circulation if you have diabetes. Dr. Silverman has a wealth of experience helping patients manage diabetes and the complications they can cause, and he’d be more than happy to find a targeted treatment plan that works for you.