Experiencing leg pain?
It could be a sign of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). Read about the typical risk factors and symptoms of PAD
to help understand if your leg pain might be more serious than just day-to-day discomfort. To request an appointment at Verona Veins, click on the appointment button on the right or view our contact information
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Want to learn more about PAD Treatments? Learn More at infoPAD.com
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Typical Symptoms of PAD
- Leg pain, fatigue, heaviness, tiredness, cramping in the leg muscles, or pain in the buttocks, thigh, or calf that occurs when walking or climbing stairs and is relieved with rest
- Pain in the legs at rest
- Pain, sores, or wounds on toes, feet, or legs
- Temperature lower in one leg than the other
- Poor nail growth on toes and decreased hair growth on legs
- A poorly healing wound on a lower extremity
- Injury to a lower limb or foot involving blood vessels
- Discoloration of the toes, feet, or legs (color changes in the skin including pallor or blue discoloration)
What is PAD?
Peripheral Arterial Disease - also known as PAD - is a common, yet serious, disease. PAD occurs when extra cholesterol and other fats circulating in the blood collect in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to your limbs. This build-up - called plaque - narrows your arteries, often reducing or blocking the flow of blood. PAD is most commonly seen in the legs, but can also be present in the arteries that carry blood from your heart to your head, arms, kidneys, and stomach. Nearly everyone who has PAD - even those who do not have leg symptoms - suffers from an inability to walk as fast or as far as they could before the onset of PAD. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, PAD affects 8 to 12 million people in the United States, especially those over 50.
What We Offer
An arteriogram is an imaging test that uses x-rays and a contrast agent (sometimes referred to as "dye") to see inside arteries. It can be used to view arteries in the heart, brain, kidney, and many other parts of the body.
Angioplasty, Stenting, and Atherectomy
Blocked or narrowed blood vessels can be a serious result of PAD. Our physicians use angioplasty to help open these narrowed arteries. This technique uses a very small balloon attached to a thin catheter, which is inserted into a blood vessel through a small nick in the skin. The catheter is threaded under x-ray guidance to the site of the blockage, and the balloon is inflated to open the artery. Sometimes, a small metal scaffold, called a stent, is inserted to keep the blood vessel open.
Atherectomy is a minimally-invasive method for removing atherosclerotic plaque from an artery. Unlike angioplasty and stents which push plaque into the vessel wall, atherectomy involves removing the plaque burden within the vessel. Some key differences between atherectomy and angioplasty and stenting are less vessel trauma, no foreign object (stent) left in the body, and all future options for the treated site left open.
PAD Risk Factors
- Over the age of 50
- Age 50 or older with a history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or smoking
- From a family with a history of vascular disease, heart attack, or stroke
- Of African American or Hispanic descent
- On dialysis
- Obesity
- Hypertension
- Hyperlipidemias
- Elevated C-reactive protein
