Poor circulation question.

[Stillstandingstill]

I'm throwing this out to the community as online searching isn't really providing an answer and I'm curious. My PD is still very one sided. My left (affected) lower leg/foot is often physically colder to touch as well as more purple in colour than my right one. It is an intermittent thing but usually more apparent at night. I'm aware that the autonomic nervous system is affected in PD and I'm not particularly troubled by it. It's not painful or extreme in nature and my sensation seems normal. Just wondering if this is shared by anyone else or perhaps unrelated to PD. Can anyone relate?

[pvw2]

That's probably one of the reasons exercise is known to slow down PD.

[cgreg]

I am affected on the right side and my right foot looks more purple.

[Stillstandingstill in reply to cgreg]

Thanks for replying. Interesting to hear that.

[cgreg in reply to Stillstandingstill]

You are welcome. I thought that I was the only one.

[MarionP]

Not the left-right divide, but toes and fingers, especially toes, get very cold. I have hypertension and my medications are carvedilol and amlodipine/benazepril. It may sound strange or counterintuitive, but when I am properly taking my blood pressure meds, keeping correctly to my schedule, my toes warm up more into the normal range. Definitely so in the first couple of hours after I take my doses.

My guess about it is that with a more normal blood pressure blood is easier able to turn off the main motorway, so to speak, into the smaller arteries and veins to the point where those cells in my toes are less starved of fuel/nutrition and can produce more heat. With pressure more normalized, if I keep my toes away from cold shocks, then the muscles in my arteries down there, those small arteries in my toes don't spasm down as much, thus letting more blood in.

You want to pay attention to this purple color, it means lack of blood perfusion, your cells down there are starved for blood, and eventually dying, whether because of high blood pressure, poor circulation, or some of that Reynauds type spasming, eventually you will get gangrene and they'll have to take off your toes. If you can't feel anything you already have nerve damage down there, the rest will follow. I would have your blood pressure checked and consider getting as much exercise, walking and other things that will stimulate the muscles in your toes, and protecting your toes from changes in the heat perhaps such as wearing "diabetic" socks, which are mainly polyester and so they keep the heat in, as opposed to Cotton which will let the heat out and refrigerate your toes, because when that happens then those muscles in the arteries will spasm down and then fail to open up again, that's the Reynauds phenomenon. When in bed, I use an electric blanket/heated throw on my feet in bed, a blessed just above my sheet and it works, when I keep that down near my feet then the rest of my body doesn't overheat. It's important to think about your toes sweating,, when they sweat they're going to cool down if the sweat evaporates too quickly, and that can start a cold shock spasm, starving your toes.

Hope you find this relevant.

[Stillstandingstill in reply to MarionP]

Thank you for this. Lots of things to consider there.

[Parkie1]

Perfectly describes my left foot too! And I agree with others that the remedy is exercise and warmth, but look out for the development of fungal toenails which I'm told is common. I use a mixture of tea tree oil and aloe vera to keep it at bay.

[Stillstandingstill in reply to Parkie1]

Thank you. Definitely going to focus some exercise on this area. I wonder if drinking beetroot juice would be helpful as that is supposed to improve blood flow.

[PDKiwi]

Regular use of a Diamag 3 PEMF device fixed my circulation and atrial fibrillation problems without drugs. I highly recommend.

[LeharLover62 in reply to PDKiwi]

Interesting…I’ve been using a Pemf on hubby for a few months now. Do you know what settings yours uses?

[PDKiwi in reply to LeharLover62]

I use channels 2 and 4 as recommended, each for 20 minutes/day but have a break of a week every 3 weeks

[LeharLover62 in reply to PDKiwi]

Hm, we’ve been doing 50hz for 30mins a day with a week break every month. I guess I’ll look up your device and see if it has frequencies?

[PDKiwi in reply to LeharLover62]

The Diamag 3 has four preset channels, each with multiple frequencies but don't know what they are. The range of Diamag devices were originally developed to rehabilitate Russian cosmonauts from being away from earth's magnetic field.

[Gallowglass]

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/185....

[TenaciousBlue]

This happens to me as well, especially in cold weather. My right hand and forearm did this first. Now it happens to my right foot. They both become significantly stiffer when it’s cold too.

[WhyRBD]

I am only in the Prodromal phase of PD but have suffered three ischemic strokes and a subarrachnoid hemmorage. I also do run a lot in order to maintain circulation. In addition, I do a 20 min BFR (Blood Flow Restriction) session daily using a Kaatsu C3 device (Technology is From Japan - Company out of LA). The BFR is great if you have difficulty exercising but want the benefits. I will only know the benefits when it is all over. Hope this helps

[LeharLover62]

yeah, hubby has it on both sides. Freaked me out the first time I noticed his feet were purple.

His doctor says it’s an issue with “venous return”. And presumably might improve with exercise or compression socks.

[WhyRBD]

I also dose Niacin at 3 grams per day. This might be helpful in improving circulation - not sure but should be looked into

[gomelgo]

I heard that Natto also improves circulation. Interestingly, my tremor hand and foot have always been warner than the rest of me.