How to improve blood circulation in the legs?
Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is the inability of the veins to return blood to the heart adequately. This poor circulation in the feet causes its accumulation in the legs, giving rise to different symptoms and problems.
How to improve circulation in feet? Is poor circulation in your feet
affecting your life? Go ahead and put the following practice to promote blood circulation in the legs.
Tips on how to improve blood circulation in legs
Staying active and, therefore, avoiding a sedentary lifestyle has its rewards. And it is that it provides a very positive effect on health, helping to alleviate some discomfort or poor circulation in feet and acting on prevalent diseases such as diabetes, among other benefits.
At USA Vein Clinic, we open a new window to emphasize “how to improve circulation in feet”. Exercise and physical activity improve cardiovascular and overall health and may provide valuable benefits beyond medications.
Therefore, to keep you active wherever you are, we explain 4 activities that improve poor circulation in feet and motivate you to avoid a sedentary lifestyle. The more physically active you are each day, the better.
How to improve blood circulation in the legs? 4 activities to improve blood circulation
They are straightforward exercises that can be carried out at home to help poor circulation in feet:
- Raise and exercise the legs.
It consists of placing the legs high, using a small step 20 centimeters high while we remain seated at home, at work, or in another usual place. We can perform circular movements with the ankles or flexion and extension in that position. This should be done for 5-10 minutes, completing the exercises in 2 sets of 15 repetitions.
By performing this physical activity, our doctors tell us that “we are going to help the venous return since the veins alone are incapable of sending blood upwards and require muscle contraction.” Therefore, we will have a positive effect if we perform this elevation position.
- Pedal from the ground
It is about imitating the pedaling of the bicycle; To do this, we have to lie down on the ground, or a hard surface, raise our legs, and simulate the pedaling movement we would do while riding the bicycle. It is advisable to vigorously perform three series of 10-15 repetitions of this exercise to facilitate venous return. Of course, you should not make sudden movements with your back since this could end up causing damage.
Another piece of advice from our specialists on
how to improve blood circulation in the legs is: “We recommend fully supporting your back on the floor or mat, as well as the palms of your hands, with your arms stretched out along your body, and only move your legs.” In addition, making a less extensive pedaling movement and trying to control it is preferable to making it fast and uncontrolled.
- Wet the feet and calves with cold water.
As a finishing touch to daily hygiene, it is advisable to shower with cold water from feet to knees, making an upward path, for 2-3 minutes. Our doctors tell us that “cold water achieves a contraction of both the capillaries and the muscles, improving the circuit that the blood travels in that area.” In summer, it can be even more pleasant in the case of varicose veins.
- Massaging your legs
Before going to sleep, a leg massage can relieve poor circulation in the feet and the feeling of heaviness. Our specialists recommend that we follow these guidelines:
- Start from the bottom up along the leg.
- Surround the leg with both hands.
- Squeeze gently and continuously, or intermittently, up to the thigh.
- Use cold gels to achieve a greater sensation of relief in the leg.
- Performing the massage every day before going to bed helps relieve the fatigue accumulated throughout the day.
- Health benefits of physical activity and exercise
Our doctors at the USA Vein Clinic explain that “being physically active, avoiding a sedentary lifestyle is very important for general health and particularly for cardiovascular health, which includes blood vessels and the heart.
