Computed tomography angiography (CTA) allows providers to see the arteries in your legs and feet. A special dye is injected, and then X-rays are taken to show the location and extent of any blood vessel blockages. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) examines the structure of your leg arteries.
Leg numbness or weakness. No pulse or a weak pulse in the legs or feet. Painful cramping in one or both of the hips, thighs or calf muscles after certain activities, such as walking or climbing stairs. Shiny skin on the legs.
A leg arterial exam is a test that looks at the blood circulation in the arteries of your arms or legs to see if there is any blockage.
The classic symptom of PAD is pain in the legs with physical activity, such as walking, that gets better after rest. However, up to 4 in 10 people with PAD have no leg pain. Symptoms of pain, aches, or cramps with walking (claudication) can happen in the buttock, hip, thigh, or calf.
Angioplasty is a procedure to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels that supply blood to your legs. Fatty deposits can build up inside the arteries and block blood flow. A stent is a small, metal mesh tube that keeps the artery open. Angioplasty and stent placement are two ways to open blocked peripheral arteries.
Walking, followed by periods of rest, can help reduce symptoms and extend the distance you're able to walk. Your health care provider should be able to help you plan a routine. Eat healthy foods. Extra cholesterol and fat can cause blocked arteries.
Your provider may prescribe medicines to treat PAD and prevent complications. These may include: Antiplatelet medicines, such as aspirin or clopidogrel, prevent blood clots from forming and narrowing the arteries even further. These medicines also lower the risk of heart attack or stroke.
If left untreated, PAD can result in the need for a major amputation of the foot or leg. This is most concerning because the life expectancy for 60% of PAD amputee patients is only 2 to 5 years.
Because peripheral artery disease affects the lower extremities, they can sometimes be mistaken for peripheral neuropathy symptoms, and vice versa. However, in contrast there are a few outlying symptoms that set them apart; they include: Cramps in the thigh, calf, ankle, buttocks, or foot. Difficulty climbing stairs.
Atherosclerosis—or clogging—in the peripheral arteries is dangerous. If you have atherosclerosis in your legs, it's almost certainly occurring elsewhere in the body. That's why all patients with PAD, regardless of whether leg pain is present, are at increased short-term risk of a heart attack or a stroke.
Numbness, weakness, or heaviness in muscles. Pain (described as burning or aching) at rest, commonly in the toes and at night while lying flat. Paleness when the legs are elevated. Reddish-blue discoloration of the extremities.
Symptoms of poor circulation are often easy to spot. They include muscle cramping, constant foot pain, and pain and throbbing in the arms and legs. As well as fatigue, varicose veins, and digestive issues. Leg cramps while walking and wounds that don't seem to heal in your legs, feet, and toes are also symptoms.
A CT coronary angiogram can reveal plaque buildup and identify blockages in the arteries, which can lead to a heart attack. Prior to the test, a contrast dye is injected into the arm to make the arteries more visible. The test typically takes 30 minutes to complete.
Dizziness or weakness. Heart palpitations, or sensations of your heart racing or fluttering. Nausea or sweating. Shortness of breath.
Walking is especially good for you
“Any other exercise is fine. There's no limitation in what a person with peripheral artery disease can do,” Dr. Mohler notes. “But the majority of the clinical trials out there support the benefits of walking.
You can still have a full, active lifestyle with peripheral artery disease, or PAD. The condition happens when plaque builds up in your arteries. This makes it harder for your arms, legs, head, and organs to get enough blood. Although it's serious and can sometimes be painful, there are lots of ways to slow it down.
PAD is not immediately life-threatening, but the process of atherosclerosis that causes it can lead to serious and potentially fatal problems.
Symptoms of Peripheral Arterial Disease
The most common symptom of this interrupted blood flow is intermittent claudication – a cramping in the legs and buttocks that flares up when you walk and subsides when you stop.
The main risk factor for PAD is smoking. Other risk factors include older age and diseases like diabetes, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
Medical conditions that raise your risk of developing PAD include: Diabetes. Chronic kidney disease. Disorders that cause blood clots, such as thrombocytosis or antiphospholipid syndrome.
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.
Through angioplasty, our cardiologists are able to treat patients with blocked or clogged coronary arteries quickly without surgery. During the procedure, a cardiologist threads a balloon-tipped catheter to the site of the narrowed or blocked artery and then inflates the balloon to open the vessel.