Ischemic digits and circulation exercises

Squeeze the foam ball for one second ...

... and release for one second, spreading
your fingers

I recently wrote about stroke risks for ET patients, but there is another risk you might want to be aware of, and that's ischemia in the hands and feet.

Ischemia is restricted blood flow, often caused by small clots in the hands and feet or further up the "line" in an artery or vein.

I don't have hard numbers of the incidence of ischemia in the hands and feet, fingers and toes of ET patients, but it seems to crop up fairly often in the medical literature. So pay attention to the circulation in your hands and feet.

Some tips:

Take your prescribed medicine, especially meds like aspirin designed to reduce clot risks.

Ask your doctor about ischemia in the extremities and what symptoms to report. In the case studies I read, the people who get into serious problems (like losing fingers) are the ones who ignore symptoms.

Watch for symptoms such as abnormal prickling (feeling like your hand or foot has fallen asleep only more or less constantly) or pain. Hands, feet, fingers, or toes that consistently look paler than the others or bluish in color could also be a sign of ischemia. A finger- or toenail that is consistently more bluish more than pinkish (different from other toe- or fingernails) could also be a sign of ischemia.

Remember that hydroxyurea (Hydrea) can sometimes discolor fingernails. This is normal for that med and does not indicate ischemia. Ask your doctor what normal discoloration looks like as opposed to something you should report.

To keep the blood flowing into your hands and feet, you can do some circulatory exercises. Most of these can be done while you are watching TV, talking on the phone, or taking a bathroom break.

And let me say that multi-tasking in the potty is an underused skill! I not only do some of the exercises below while "otherwise engaged," but I also keep my hand weights on the back of the toilet tank. After I've washed my hands, I do 30 repetitions of three different arm/shoulder exercises before I leave the room.

OK, the anti-ischemia exercises:

Squeeze a foam ball with your fingertips for one second, then spread your fingers open. Do this 10 or 15 times a few times a day. (You can get balls with band around them so they stay attached when you let go.) Pictures above.

Curl your toes together, then stretch your toes apart 10 or 15 times. Repeat a few times a day.

Give your feet a nice circulating massage 

while you watch TV!

Rotate your ankles clockwise, then counter clockwise while your leg is elevated. Do 25 or 30 rotations in one sitting a few times a day.

Massage also helps circulation. I got one of those wooden roller footstool thingies (see the picture), which is supposed to improve foot circulation. If it doesn't, I don't care because this thing is great! You roll your feet over the wooden beads slowly, and you kind of get into a "zone." It's very relaxing! The drawback is that the little beads do squeak, which may drive others in the room nuts.

Be well!

Related: Thinking about stroke risk

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