Tips for Improving Blood Circulation in Legs

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Looking how to improve circulation in legs

You hear the word “circulation” quite a bit, but have you ever stopped to think about what it means beyond your legs falling asleep when you’ve been sitting in the same place for too long?

Circulation is how your heart pumps blood throughout your body. Hearing that, it’s easy to see that circulation is crucial to keeping your health in check. This is true for your hands and fingers as well. Poor circulation in your hands can make it difficult to do normal activities.

So, if you find yourself suffering from poor circulation, don’t simply shake it off as no big deal. Poor circulation means that your heart is not able to properly pump your blood, which can lead to much bigger problems than your legs falling asleep. Did you know that one of the symptoms of poor circulation is varicose veins as the lack of circulation may cause the varicose vein to become visible? A few additional problems caused by poor circulation include numbness, tingling, pain, and blanching of color.

Instead, we encourage you to take steps to improve the circulation in your hands and fingers. How do you do this?

Keep reading to find out.

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When it comes to circulation issues with other parts of your body, it may seem more apparent what you need to do to fix it. If you have poor circulation in your feet, it’s important that you get up and walk around every hour, as well as partake in other activities.

So, while it’s safe to assume that exercise is helpful for circulation issues in places such as your legs, it may seem strange to do exercises with your hands.

But trust us, this is the best way to improve circulation in both your hands and your fingers. The more you work out your hands and fingers, the more your blood vessels in that area will dilate in order to allow the oxygenated blood to get through.

What does exercising your hands and fingers look like? Here are a few hand exercises to try the next time you want to get the blood circulating.

Thumb Cross

Our thumbs are often neglected, but they are quite important to our hand dexterity. One exercise that is great for your thumbs involves a few steps:

  1. Hold your hand in front of you with your fingers together and your thumb to the side
  2. Reach your thumb across your palm to the other side
  3. Hold for a few seconds and repeat

Hand Shake

We aren’t talking about when you meet someone — this is a different kind of handshake. This exercise is simple, yet efficient.

  1. Hold your hands out in front of you
  2. Shake for a few seconds
  3. Repeat

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Fist Clench

Another easy but beneficial hand exercise requires you to turn your hand into a fist.

  1. Make your hands into fists
  2. Keep them clenched for a few seconds
  3. Repeat

You can take this to the next level by holding something in your hand while clenching your fist, such as a stress ball.

Fist Push

This exercise is great for strengthening as well as hand circulation.

  1. Make one hand into a fist
  2. Push it into the palm of the other hand
  3. Hold for about 10 seconds
  4. Switch hands and repeat

Hand Massage

Give your hand muscles a nice massage using primarily your thumb.

As you can see, it doesn’t take much to improve your hand and finger circulation. These exercises are quick, easy, and efficient. It’s something you should be doing every day to keep the blood circulating throughout your hands and fingers.

While effective, these hand exercises do not replace seeing a specialist about your circulation issues. If you find yourself struggling with a lack of circulation in your hands, legs, or feet, we recommend consulting a vein doctor. Poor circulation can be the sign of a bigger problem, so it’s best to find out from a trusted professional.

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Medically Reviewed By:

Dr. Yan Katsnelson is a philanthropist, business owner, and highly skilled cardiac surgeon. He is the Founder and CEO of USA Vein Clinics, which is part of USA Clinics Group, the parent company of USA Fibroid Centers, USA Vascular Centers, and USA Oncology Centers, with more than 100 facilities nationwide. Dr. Yan has established himself as a strong advocate for accessibility and affordability of the most advanced medical care close to home. His mission is to create a positive experience for each patient with compassionate, personalized, and expert care.