Heart and Sole – The Link Between Foot and Circulatory Health

How Your Feet are Affected by Your Heart

The feet, of course, are the farthest stop on the long journey of your circulatory system. This network of blood vessels travels throughout the body. What happens to vessels in one area can happen to vessels in another area.

You may be familiar with the term CAD (Coronary Artery Disease). Well, PAD is Periphery Artery Disease and is same the same problem that occurs in the leg. 

Looking at and testing vascular supply can vary depending on the location in the body. In the eyes, for example, it can be rather easy to visualize the blood vessels. The capillaries, the smallest blood vessels, can be seen at the back of the eye (retina) during a standard exam. 

It’s not as easy to see what is going on with the blood vessels in the feet and heart. That’s why we rely tools such as ABI testing, which compares blood vessel performance in the arms and legs. You can learn more about our Smart ABI test in the video below.

Remember that your circulatory system is how the body receives oxygen. This is pretty important to survive and function properly. The amount of blood that can be delivered by the arteries and the amount of oxygen in the blood determine the quality of your vascular supply.

Blood flow has a bit more of a challenge reaching (and returning from) the feet and lower legs than other areas of the body. We are concerned about how far the blood has to travel and how strong the pump is. How open and flexible the vessels are also become big factors!

So when any of these problems reduces vascular supply, the lower limbs may suffer consequences. And those consequences can be very serious. 

If we see problems in the lower legs there may be problems with circulatory system in the heart as well. That’s when we may recommend bringing our friend the cardiologist into the mix.

Symptoms of Circulatory Problems in the Legs and Feet

An early symptom of reduced vascular supply can be early muscle fatigue. A short walk around the block may feel like you ran a marathon. 

An advanced sign of diminished blood flow is called Intermittent Claudication. This is a major red flag, like having left arm pain forecasting a heart attack.

Claudication produces deep muscle cramping during activities. The symptoms get better with rest but will return after the same amount of activity. On the other hand, symptoms may never show up if there is insufficient activity. This is different from the typical nighttime cramping which is from an entirely different problem. 

When blood flow reduces enough, there may be just enough oxygen to keep your body running. Any extra demand can make the muscles cry out. You can think of it like trying to run around the block while breathing through a straw. It puts a lot of stress on the system!

But being on the move isn’t the only thing that can tax your vascular supply. Your cells can also put in “special orders” for more oxygen when they need repairs from an injury. This can be anything ranging from a cut to a blister to an ingrown toenail.

When there is reduced vascular supply in these cases, it can lead to a delay in healing time. In more severe cases, healing may not occur at all.

Injuries and ulcers that don’t heal properly are more open to infection. It is just a matter of time before an open wound gets infected. A soft tissue infection is bad, but if an infection reaches the bone, surgery and even amputation may be the only recourse. 

Such wounds are a common problem with many diabetic patients . These patients often face other complications in addition to vascular supply.