Vascular Insufficiencies

Several diseases restrict blood flow in your feet, leading to open wounds called ulcers. If you have vascular insufficiencies, visit Dr. Joseph Hall, DPM (Foot and Ankle Specialist) at Mill Creek Foot & Ankle Clinic in Mill Creek, WA for an expert diagnosis. Dr. Hall specializes in caring for vascular problems affecting the feet, including peripheral arterial disease (PAD), chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), and diabetes. Call Mill Creek Foot & Ankle Clinic or request an appointment online today to benefit from the Dr. Hall's expertise.

What are vascular insufficiencies?

Vascular insufficiencies affect how well blood flows into and out of your lower limbs.

Fresh, oxygenated blood full of nutrients pumps from your heart along arteries that extend throughout your body. When your tissues have taken all the goodness from the blood, it returns to your heart for more oxygen. The route back is along veins — vessels that transport used blood.

If you have heart disease, it can affect blood circulation all around your body. Circulatory conditions that are particularly likely to affect your feet and lower legs are peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). People with diabetes also suffer from vascular insufficiency problems.

How do vascular insufficiencies affect circulation?

PAD affects the arteries in your legs. If there’s excess cholesterol in your blood, it mixes with substances like calcium to form sticky plaque. The plaque coats the inside walls of your arteries, making them narrower. Narrowed arteries restrict blood flow, so your lower legs and feet don’t get enough oxygen and nutrition.

CVI affects the veins in your legs. These veins have valves along their length that open to let blood through and close after each pump. The valves stop gravity from pulling your blood down to your feet. If they’re weak or faulty, blood trickles back through and pools, causing varicose veins, aching, tenderness, and foot and leg swelling.

Diabetes is caused by high levels of sugar in your blood. It can cause vascular insufficiencies and diabetic peripheral neuropathy — nerve damage in your feet. These two conditions make people with diabetes more likely to develop open sores called ulcers that are difficult to heal.

Untreated PAD and CVI may also cause ulcers. If an ulcer gets infected, it can develop into gangrene (tissue death), which could result in amputation.

How are vascular insufficiencies treated?

The Mill Creek Foot & Ankle Clinic team can advise you on improving your vascular health. Their recommendations might include:

• Exercising regularly
• Losing weight
• Wearing support hose
• Lowering your cholesterol
• Eating nutritious foods

You might need medication to help regulate your blood sugar or reduce excess cholesterol. Some people require treatments that widen the arteries or remove diseased veins.

The Mill Creek Foot & Ankle Clinic team specializes in preventing and treating ulcers in patients with vascular insufficiency problems. They offer expert diabetic foot care and use the latest advances in wound care to treat ulcers and prevent limb loss.

Call Mill Creek Foot & Ankle Clinic or book an appointment online today to take advantage of the team’s expertise in vascular insufficiencies.