Pain in your leg can be a sign of a wider health issue. If you're at high risk of developing heart disease, your leg pain could be due to peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD shares many causes and risk factors with coronary artery disease (CAD) and can be an early sign.
“Most assume that all leg pain is musculoskeletal or nerve-related, but people need to know that some forms of leg pain can be the first sign of heart disease.” Claudication is the medical term for leg pain that happens during activity.
Leg Pain Can Indicate Risk for a Heart Attack or Stroke
Peripheral artery disease that causes leg pain can be indicative of heart issues. People that have PAD are at a higher risk of having a stroke or heart attack. This could be a sign that the coronary arteries are blocked and the blood flow is reduced.
When it does, it's called peripheral arterial disease, or PAD. And in some people, PAD causes leg pain that acts as an 'early warning' that someone is at high risk for a heart attack or a stroke, says a University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center expert.
This is when narrowed or blocked arteries reduce the blood flow to your legs. At first, claudication pain occurs when you walk a certain distance and goes away when you rest. But as the disease gets worse, the pain can occur when you walk shorter distances.
Most leg pain results from wear and tear, overuse, or injuries in joints or bones or in muscles, ligaments, tendons or other soft tissues. Some types of leg pain can be traced to problems in your lower spine. Leg pain can also be caused by blood clots, varicose veins or poor circulation.
Vascular pain often feels like an uncomfortable heaviness or throbbing sensation. It can also feel like an aching sensation. It usually affects your legs and can be worse with walking or exerting yourself.
Increased risk of leg pain and numbness
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a complication that can develop when the arteries in your legs get too narrow due to buildup from high cholesterol levels. PAD can cause numbness and tingling in your legs or feet.
There are a variety of factors that can lead to leg pain, including arthritis, normal wear and tear, a muscle or joint injury, or nerve problems related to diabetes or smoking. However, other causes of leg pain can be related to your heart or blood vessels and may require medical attention from a cardiologist.
What's not so obvious is that your legs also can tell you a lot about the state of your heart and circulatory system through three conditions: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) Chronic venous insufficiency/varicose veins.
Leg Pain Could Indicate Vein or Artery Disease
Often, leg pain is misdiagnosed as simply muscle aches or arthritis. The reality is leg pain and cramps may be signs of a more serious underlying disease; therefore, you should discuss your leg challenges with a vascular specialist.
Symptoms of Vascular Leg Pain
This pain can range from mild discomfort to debilitating pain, depending on the severity of plaque build up. Occasional leg pain or soreness isn't usually cause for concern but leg pain or discomfort that consistently occurs during activity and goes away when resting is.
Ischemic limb pain, or critical limb ischemia, is a condition where there is a severe blockage of plaque buildup in the arteries in your legs. It can lead to pain in your legs, feet and toes; poor circulation; and wounds that won't heal.
A blood clot in a leg vein may cause pain, warmth and tenderness in the affected area. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one or more of the deep veins in the body, usually in the legs. Deep vein thrombosis can cause leg pain or swelling. Sometimes there are no noticeable symptoms.
Poor circulation
A deep aching and burning sensation can be a result of furring up of the arteries that supply your leg muscles with blood. This is known as peripheral vascular disease and often causes tired and aching legs.
Humans with vitamin D deficiency exhibit muscle pain in muscles at multiple locations. However, the strongest association between vitamin D deficiency and pain is reported to occur in leg muscles (Heidari et al., 2010).
Without movement or exercise, the muscles are weakened and deprived of a steady supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients. This, in turn, can lead to muscle pain.
If left untreated, the condition can cause severe leg pain (claudication), difficulty walking or standing, and may even lead to limb loss. It is important to know your symptoms and when you should see a doctor. Keep reading below to know more about the symptoms of arterial blockages (peripheral artery disease).
Blood pressure readings may be taken before and immediately after exercising to check the arteries during walking. Ultrasound of the legs or feet. This test uses sound waves to see how blood moves through the blood vessels. Doppler ultrasound is a special type of ultrasound used to spot blocked or narrowed arteries.
A completely blocked coronary artery will cause a heart attack. The classic signs and symptoms of a heart attack include crushing chest pain or pressure, shoulder or arm pain, shortness of breath, and sweating. Women may have less typical symptoms, such as neck or jaw pain, nausea and fatigue.