Gravity does its best to pull the blood to the feet, but it is not ensuring a return trip. Because, in the human body, the major foot arteries are the farthest away from the heart, many circulatory problems will first display themselves in the feet.
The arteries carry blood away from the heart and the veins carry blood returning to the heart and lungs for regeneration - for nutrients and oxygen - after the blood's supply of oxygen has been used up to nourish the tissues of the body.
There are two main arteries that supply the feet with the essential blood supply: the dorsalis pedis artery and the posterior tibial artery. These two major arteries distribute oxygenated blood through smaller arterioles to the many tissues of the feet.
Healthy arteries have thick walls that are strong and elastic. To accommodate the pressure created by the pumping of the heart, they must stretch with each heartbeat.