When you feel pain in your legs while walking—especially if it goes away when you rest—it’s not just tired muscles. It could be peripheral artery disease, a condition where narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to your limbs. Also known as PAD, this isn’t rare—it affects nearly 12 million Americans, and most don’t realize they have it until it’s advanced. PAD isn’t just about legs. It’s a sign your arteries are clogging up everywhere, including your heart and brain. If you’ve got PAD, your risk of heart attack or stroke jumps significantly.
The most common sign is claudication, cramping or tiredness in the calves, thighs, or hips that starts during activity and stops with rest. It doesn’t happen all at once. It creeps in—first you slow down on walks, then you stop to rest after a few blocks, then you can’t get past the mailbox. Some people mistake it for arthritis or just getting older. But if your pain is tied to movement and eases with sitting, it’s likely PAD. Other signs include cold feet, slow-healing sores on your legs or toes, shiny skin, and weak pulses in your feet. Men and women experience it differently—women are more likely to have pain at rest or numbness, not just cramping.
PAD doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s linked to the same risks as heart disease: smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and being over 60. If you’ve got one, you likely have others. That’s why checking for PAD symptoms isn’t just about your legs—it’s about protecting your whole body. The good news? Catching it early means you can slow or even reverse it with lifestyle changes and simple meds. You don’t need surgery right away. But ignoring it? That’s when things get dangerous.
What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t just a list of symptoms. It’s a practical guide to what comes next: how to recognize the subtle signs, what tests doctors actually use, how medications like statins or blood thinners help, and why some people feel worse after switching generics. You’ll also see how supplements like St. John’s wort or biotin can interfere with your treatment, why expired drugs matter more with PAD, and how insurance denials can delay life-saving care. This isn’t theory. It’s what real people dealing with PAD need to know to stay safe and in control.
Peripheral artery disease causes leg pain and increases heart attack risk. Learn the key symptoms, how it's diagnosed with ABI testing, and proven treatments including walking therapy, medication, and procedures.
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