Article Tools

Font size
Share This

Your arteries carry blood rich in oxygen and nutrients from your heart to the rest of your body. When the arteries in your legs become blocked and your legs do not receive enough blood or oxygen, a condition called peripheral artery disease may develop.

PAD is a common disorder. In fact, one in three people age 70 or older has PAD.

PAD can cause discomfort or pain in your hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, shins or upper feet when you walk. You may feel well and still have leg artery disease or sometimes similar blockages in other arteries, such as those leading to the heart or brain. It is important to treat this disease not only because it may place you at a greater risk for limb loss, but also for having a heart attack or stroke.

Leg artery disease is considered a type of peripheral arterial disease because it affects the arteries, the blood vessels that carry blood away from your heart to your limbs. Your arteries are normally smooth and unobstructed on the inside but, as you age, they can become blocked through a process called atherosclerosis, which means hardening of the arteries.

As you age, a sticky substance called plaque can build up in the walls of your arteries. Plaque is made up of cholesterol, calcium and fibrous tissue. As more plaque builds up, your arteries narrow and stiffen. Eventually, enough plaque builds up to reduce blood flow to your leg arteries. When this happens, your leg does not receive the oxygen it needs. Physicians call this leg artery disease.

You are more likely to develop PAD as you age. Smoking or having diabetes increases your chances of developing the disease sooner.


You may not feel any symptoms from peripheral artery disease at first. The most common early symptom is intermittent claudication, which is discomfort or pain in your legs that happens when you walk and goes away when you rest. You may not always feel pain; instead, you may feel a tightness, heaviness, cramping or weakness in your leg with activity.

IC often occurs more quickly if you walk uphill or up a flight of stairs. Over time, you may begin to feel IC at shorter walking distances. Only about 50 percent of the people with leg artery disease have blockages severe enough to experience IC.

In severe peripheral artery disease, you may develop painful sores on your toes or feet. If the circulation in your leg does not improve, these ulcers can start as dry, gray or black sores, and eventually become dead tissue (called gangrene).


Atherosclerosis causes peripheral artery disease. As you get older, your risk of developing leg artery disease increases. People older than age 50 have an increased risk of developing the disease, and men have a greater risk than women.

Other factors that increase your chances of developing the disease include smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or triglycerides, high levels of homocysteine (an amino acid in your blood) and weighing over 30 percent more than your ideal weight

In your evaluation for PAD, your physician will ask some questions about your general health, medical history and symptoms, and conduct a physical exam. Your physician will probably ask you if you smoke or have high blood pressure, and about the timing and frequency of your symptoms.

You may undergo a pulse test, which measures the strength of your pulse in arteries behind your knees and feet.

After your exam, if your physician suspects peripheral artery disease, he or she may perform tests, such as:

- Ankle-brachial index, which compares the blood pressure in your arms and legs.

- Duplex ultrasound, using high-frequency sound waves to measure real-time blood flow and detect blockages or other abnormalities in the structure of your blood vessels.

- Pulse volume recording, measuring the volume of blood at various points in the legs using an arm blood pressure cuff and a Doppler probe.

- Magnetic resonance angiography, using magnetic fields and radio waves to show blockages inside your arteries.

- Computed tomographic angiography that uses specialized CT scans and contrast dye to show blockages inside your arteries.

- Angiography, which produces X-ray pictures of the blood vessels in your legs using a contrast dye to highlight your arteries.


PAD is treated in several ways:

- Lifestyle changes. If your peripheral artery disease is detected early, you can make lifestyle changes to help you manage your disease. See the section entitled "What Can I Do to Stay Healthy?"

- Medication. Your physician may also recommend medication to treat conditions that worsen or complicate leg artery disease. These medications may include cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins) or blood pressure-lowering medications. You may also need to take medications that reduce blood clotting to minimize the chances of clots blocking your narrowed arteries.

- Walking/exercise. Exercising and walking regularly, for instance, walking at least 30 minutes three times each week, may help improve your symptoms.

Lifestyle changes that help you manage your leg artery disease include:

- Managing diabetes by maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.

- Lowering high cholesterol.

- Lowering high blood pressure.

- Quitting smoking.

- Eating foods low in saturated fats and calories.

- Maintaining your ideal body weight.

- Exercising and walking regularly (walking at least 30 minutes three times each week).

In more severe cases of leg peripheral disease, lifestyle changes and medication may not be enough to improve your symptoms. Also, if your disease has advanced, your physician may recommend surgical or minimally invasive treatments. The choice of the treatment depends upon the pattern and extent of the blockages, as well as other factors, such as your general health and the presence of other medical conditions.

Your vascular surgeon will help you determine the best option for your individual situation. Sometimes, a combination of the various tools available may be required for the most favorable results.

Dr. Julio Calderin is a board-certified, fellowship-trained vascular surgeon with Alliance Medical Group specializing in the medical and surgical treatment of artery and vein disorders. His office is located at the Hazleton Health & Wellness Center. For a consultation or examination, call 570-501- 4AMG. Visit Calderin's webpage at under Our Team.