How to Improve Blood Circulation

If you have a medical condition that affects your blood vessels, or are looking for ways to boost your health, you may be wondering if you can improve your blood flow, also known as circulation. According to Anahita Dua, MD, a Mass General Brigham vascular surgeon, this can be done in a number of ways.

“There are incredible ways to get you better circulation,” says Dr. Dua, who cares for patients at Massachusetts General Hospital. “The name of the game is early, early, early. Let us catch you and talk to you early, so that we can work on prevention.”

By preventing poor circulation from happening, you can avoid painful symptoms and more serious outcomes like tissue death and stroke. But even if you already have poor blood circulation, there are many treatment options to improve your blood flow.

Understanding poor circulation

As blood circulates through your body, it delivers oxygen and nutrients to your organs and tissues. When blood vessels become narrowed, damaged, or blocked, that flow is disrupted — leading to what’s commonly called poor circulation.

Several factors can contribute to poor circulation, including:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Smoking
• Obesity

These issues cause narrowing of blood vessels, making it harder for blood to flow.

Poor circulation can cause symptoms such as pain, numbness, swelling, and visible skin changes like discoloration or ulcers. Untreated restricted blood flow increases the risk of blood clots, which can travel to vital organs, such as the lungs (pulmonary embolism), heart (heart attack), or brain (stroke). In severe cases, tissue damage or death can result from poor circulation.

Lifestyle changes that improve circulation

Making small changes to your daily routine can help prevent poor circulation. Lifestyle changes are also an important step for people who already have circulation problems — such changes can ease symptoms and complement medical treatments. Consider making changes such as:

• Exercise: Activities that keep you upright and moving — such as walking or jogging — encourage blood flow.
• Compression socks: The gentle pressure of compression garments helps blood move back toward your heart and decreases swelling.
• Diet: Eating a diet low in trans fats and salt (sodium) and high in nutrients can improve your circulation.
• Hydration: Dehydration can make your blood thicken. Drinking lots of water helps your body maintain healthy circulation.
• Massage: Relaxing tense muscles can boost circulation and improve blood flow.
• Quitting smoking: Smoking and tobacco products damage blood vessels. Quitting (or never starting) is an important strategy for keeping blood vessels healthy.

Medications for poor circulation

Addressing the underlying causes of poor circulation is always the first step in treatment. Managing conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol can help prevent further damage to blood vessels and stop circulation problems from getting worse.

Your physician may also prescribe medications to help increase blood flow. Blood thinners, such as aspirin, reduce the risk of blood clots. Cholesterol-lowering medications called statins stabilize plaque buildup on blood vessel walls so that blood can flow past more easily.

Vascular surgery for poor circulation

In some cases, such as when a blood vessel is blocked, your doctor may recommend vascular surgery to improve blood circulation.

Your surgeon recommends options based on the location and severity of the blockage, as well as your health.

“It's something that has to be a conversation between the provider and the patient to make sure that we're doing the right thing for the right patient,” says Dr. Dua.

Minimally invasive options

For many patients, minimally invasive endovascular surgery can clear a blockage. In these procedures, a surgeon inserts a thin tube called a catheter inside the blood vessel to remove a clot. These procedures include:

• Angioplasty: A small balloon inflated in a blocked artery restores blood flow.
• Atherectomy: A tiny blade or laser on the catheter tip removes plaque from blood vessel walls.
• Stenting: A small, wire mesh tube placed in the blood vessel keeps it open.
• Thermal ablation: A laser closes up damaged veins, rerouting blood flow through healthy veins.

Open surgeries

Severe blockages may need to be removed with open surgery done through an incision. These procedures include:

• Bypass surgery: A bypass, or detour, is made around the blockage. This is often used in cases of severe peripheral artery disease (PAD) or severe venous disease.
• Deep venous arterialization (DVA): This novel procedure rewires the circulatory system in the area with poor circulation, restoring blood flow to the affected body part.
• Endarterectomy: In this procedure, a surgeon removes plaque from the walls of your arteries to improve blood circulation.

When to seek medical help

Any symptoms of poor circulation should be discussed with your doctor. But seek immediate attention if you experience serious symptoms such as chest pain, lightheadedness, or numbness.

If your current treatment plan isn’t improving your circulation or if your symptoms are getting worse, talk to your doctor about options.

“We can do all kinds of things,” says Dr. Dua. “It's always a unique combination for each patient, depending on what their blockages are and what we're trying to do.”