A regular supply of oxygenated blood is required to support and nourish all the tissues in your body. Once oxygen is "attached" to the haemoglobin in your red blood cells (which takes place in your lungs), your heart pumps it through your arteries to the tissues. When circulation to an area is diminished, a variety of problems can occur. Muscle cramping (mostly in the calves) when walking may be an indicator of a significantly compromised blood supply.

Decreased arterial circulation also causes thinning and decreased elasticity of your skin, decreased/absent hair growth and delayed wound healing. In fact, it can even decrease your resistance to infection when you've suffered a minor cut or undergone surgery. When your veins (which return deoxygenated or "used" blood back to your heart and lungs for re-oxygenation) are varicosed or otherwise deficient, you may be subjected to excessive swelling or even ulceration of the skin.

In our practice, we take the assessment of your circulation very seriously. In addition to the clinical evaluation of signs and symptoms related to decreased blood supply, we use a Doppler Diagnostic Ultrasound unit to document the flow of oxygenated blood to your foot and ankle. This simultaneously transmits ultrasonic waves that "bounce" off of the red blood cells travelling in each artery and it receives the bounced waves and converts them to audible sounds. Since the quality and quantity of your circulation is heavily influenced by your dietary and lifestyle choices, you'll be given advice re: how you can best manage (or even improve) poor circulation when it's detected.