Heavy, Tired Legs? What Your Body May Be Telling You About Circulation

With all of the busyness that comes with the holiday season, many of us feel a little more fatigued than usual in January. Still, if you experience that tiredness in one particular body part, it’s worth paying attention.

Some people report a tired or heavy sensation in the legs. That’s usually not just localized fatigue. Instead, those feelings often mean blood isn’t circulating as it should. 

If all of this sounds familiar, visit our providers at Louisiana Heart and Vascular Institute in Covington, Franklinton, or Hammond, Louisiana. We specialize in diagnosing and treating common causes of tired, heavy legs, including venous insufficiency and varicose veins. 

The link between heavy, tired legs and poor circulation

If your legs feel unusually heavy, there might be multiple causes. Many have the same thing in common: They impact how blood moves through your legs. Conditions behind tired, heavy legs include:

Venous insufficiency

This relatively common condition develops when the valves in the blood vessels of your legs malfunction. That prevents blood from flowing back to your heart as it should. The extra blood pooling in your legs can lead to that heavy sensation you’re experiencing. 

Varicose veins

When a valve malfunctions in just one of your blood vessels, it’s called a varicose vein. As blood flows in the wrong direction, it causes bulging that may be visible through your skin. That problem vein might make your leg feel heavy and achy. 

Peripheral artery disease

With this condition, the circulation issue doesn’t result from a valve problem. Instead, it develops because fatty deposits restrict blood flow in the artery. This diminished circulation can make your legs feel tired, heavy, or even numb. 

Find out what’s going on with your legs

Here at Louisiana Heart and Vascular Institute, our team can help you figure out what’s causing the new sensations in your legs. We discuss your symptoms, lifestyle, and personal and family health histories. 

Then, if we determine it’s likely a circulation issue, we use diagnostic tools to figure out what’s going on inside your blood vessels. Often, that means a vascular ultrasound, a painless form of imaging that helps us evaluate blood flow in your legs. 

Once we determine what’s behind those leg sensations, we develop a treatment plan to help you avoid complications. For example, we might recommend sclerotherapy for a varicose vein. 

If you have tired, heavy legs, call the Louisiana Heart and Vascular Institute office near you or request an appointment online today.