Peripheral artery disease can cause leg attacks so painful that you need to take a break from walking.
When we have leg pain, we assume wear and tear on the joints or sore muscles are responsible. Most people don’t know that leg pain could be caused by blockages inside arteries in your legs.
This condition is called peripheral artery disease. It’s a form of atherosclerosis, which is the medical term that means your arteries have narrowed due to plaque buildup.
Coronary artery disease, which causes heart attacks, is another form of atherosclerosis that affects blood vessels in the heart. When certain blood vessels in the neck are blocked, doctors call it carotid artery disease. People who have peripheral artery disease are likely to have narrowing in other arteries.
“Peripheral artery disease is severely under-diagnosed,” said Dr. Dan Gavrila, a Marshfield Clinic Health System cardiologist. “Doctors and patients have a responsibility to be more aware of it.”
Pain while walking is a sign
At least half of patients with peripheral artery disease have no symptoms.
As the condition progresses, patients have symptoms like leg discomfort, heaviness and muscle pain when walking. It’s painful because your legs aren’t getting enough blood and oxygen. The pain can become so intense that you need to take a lot of sitting breaks while walking. The severe pain is known as a “leg attack.”
“Leg attacks are an extreme manifestation of peripheral artery disease that happen when the artery is completely blocked,” Gavrila said.
Eventually, you may have pain even when you’re sitting.
Blockages are hard on the legs
Lack of blood flow and oxygen puts stress on your limbs. You can get sores on your legs and feet that don’t heal. In the worst-case scenario, the wounds may become infections that don’t heal because of insufficient blood flow, and that part of your leg must be amputated.
Diabetics need to be especially careful with this limb- and life-threatening disease,” Gavrila said.
People who have diabetes are at greater risk for peripheral artery disease and for complications like infected wounds. They may not notice sores on their lower legs and feet, they may not experience pain and the disease affects most or all of their blood vessels.
Talk to your doctor about peripheral artery disease
Diagnosing peripheral artery disease involves a simple, non-invasive test. If you have leg pain when walking or you have risk factors for heart disease, ask your doctor about getting tested. Peripheral artery disease is serious, but it can be managed if you know you have it.
If you smoke, it’s important that you quit. Peripheral artery disease is very common in smokers. Eating a healthful diet and controlling high cholesterol and high blood pressure can prevent the problem from getting worse. Walking may be hard to do, but exercising as much as you can will improve blood flow and eventually reduce pain.
Specialists, including cardiologists, vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists, can treat more serious blockages and potentially save limbs with various procedures like balloon angioplasties, stents or bypass surgery.
“If a doctor gets involved and the patient follows advice to improve cardiovascular health, severe consequences can almost always be avoided,” Gavrila said.
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When are leg cramps worrisome?
Hi I think I may have symptoms that show I have blockage in an artery? I feel heavy pressure in my leg regular and a tight pressure around my neck tracking up to my ears causing a popping sensation. Does this sound to anyone Iike I am describing someone as been spoken about on this form?
Thanks in advance to any advice anyone could give to help me understand
I have a blocked artery in my left leg which is the main artery totally blocked can it cause me to have chest pain due to the lack of circulation
Betty – If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911. For non-emergency health questions, please consult with your doctor or health care provider. Your care team is most familiar with your medical history and current conditions; they are able to best answer your questions and provide you individualized medical advice. -Kirstie
Can you have PAD in your groin area w/painful upper leg pain when walking(only on one side)? I also have neuropathy in my feet.
Jane – Thank you for your question.
We are not able to provide individualized medical advice on this forum. However, I talked to Dr. Gavrila, and he said generally, "It is possible to have exertional discomfort in the buttock and thigh with PAD. Localized pain in a relatively small area of the groin only is unlikely to be PAD, especially if it can happen without exertion. It is best to discuss with your provider to clarify; a simple test could probably provide an answer."
If you need to make an appointment with your provider, you can get that process started here: https://www.marshfieldclinic.org/appointments, or call 1-866-520-2510.
Thank you for reading Shine365. -Kirstie
The great Dr. lee replaced the artriess in my upper legs about 5 years ago, now the calfs hert, and suffering from charlie horse, very very much pain
What is the name of the non-invasive test to check for PAD?
Hi, Jane. Thank you for the question. Dr. Gavrila said, "'Lower extremity arterial study' or 'LEA,' which consists as a first step of measuring the blood pressure in the arms and legs. If that is normal, nothing else needs to be done. If abnormal, typically it is followed by an non-invasive ultrasound of the blood vessels in the legs."
I hope that helps. -Kirstie
Does Marshfield Clinic offer a life line screening program that my insurance would cover?
Hi, Jeffrey. I apologize for the delay in our response. I wanted to check with a few sources before I provided an answer.
We are not aware of a life-line screening program and suggest starting with your insurance. They may be able to help you understand what they cover and where.
I hope that helps, and thank you for reading Shine365. -Kirstie
What is the name of the non invasive test to check for PAD?
Hi, Carol. I shared your question with Dr. Gavrila. He said, "'Lower extremity arterial study' or 'LEA,' which consists as a first step of measuring the blood pressure in the arms and legs. If that is normal, nothing else needs to be done. If abnormal, typically it is followed by an non-invasive ultrasound of the blood vessels in the legs."
Thank you for reading Shine365. -Kirstie
Come on…..why not just say eat a plant based diet and skip all dairy & Meat !
All you say is eat a healthful diet! BUT NOT what a heatlhful diet is. i expect more
out of Marshfield than that. So much good sound reseach on plant based. Say it the way it is.