CIRCULATION OF BLOOD IN THE LEGS

The arteries are small tubes carrying blood from the heart up to the skin. The oxygenated blood reaches the heart from the lungs, flows into the aorta through the left ventricle and, then through the iliac, femoral, popliteal and tibial arteries, arrives to the feet. During this long journey, the blood transfers part of the oxygen to the muscles and other tissues and returns through another complex network of tubes: the veins.

The veins run, almost always, close to the arteries, but the two systems are completely separated, as completely different are the diseases that concern the artery system from those of the venous system. This point must always be taken into account, because very often the different pathologies are confused. For example sometime thrombus phlebitis can be related to an arterypathy of a relative.

If the heart is the principal pump of the artery system, the foot and the leg are the main pumps of the venous system. Consequently, the importance of having feet and legs in perfect conditions can be easily understood.

The foot represents a masterpiece of engineering, fundamental for the health of theentire body. It is a complex and strong structure. It is in fact able to bear an impact equivalent to 2.5 millions of kilograms every day. During the walking strengths up to five/six time the weight of the body act on the support points.

Alterations of the plantar support can have repercussions on the spinal column. During movement the foot causes the contraction of the leg muscles that allow the blood to return to the heart. Any illness of the foot makes the venous peripheral pump work improperly and successively it can produce troubles on the vein system.

Feet and legs deserve great care and attention from everyone, not just women. In fact also men, even if in a lower percentage, can suffer of such diseases.

The veins of the lower limbs are of two main kinds: the deep veins and the superficial veins. The deep veins are located in the inner anatomic planes, inside the muscles, bones and tendons. Their diseases are sometime defined as "internal varices", whereas in reality they are varicose very rarely. Their diseases are due to constitutional factors, or to the presence of thrombi, that represents the principal disease, called more appropriately " chronic venous insufficiency". The superficial veins visible through the skin are located inside subcutaneous tissues. The skin provides an insufficient support to these veins that are easily subjected to alterations giving place to the well-known varices. The deep and the superficial veins are connected through the perforant veins, so called as they run in the muscles from the surface to the deepest layers of the art. All these veins are equipped with valves having several functions; 1. direct the blood up towards the heart: 2. limit the damages due to the sudden counterblows of pressure for violent muscular exercises, 3. prevent venous thrombosis

Another vascular system exists. This system is formed by smaller tubes located close to the veins. They bring back the lymph (the liquid present in the spaces between the body cells) to the heart.