How doctors diagnose and treat peripheral artery disease when leg pain worsens

Walking can become difficult for people with peripheral artery disease because narrowed leg arteries reduce blood supply to muscles. This causes pain, cramps or heaviness during movement that usually eases with rest.

Treatment And Exercise

Movement is a core part of treatment, but pain makes staying active challenging. Venu S., a consultant vascular surgeon at Prashanth Hospitals in Chennai, says structured walking programmes can help patients gradually increase their walking distance. Sessions commonly last 30 to 45 minutes several times a week. Balaji V., a senior consultant in vascular surgery at Apollo Hospitals in Greams Road, Chennai, notes that quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, staying physically active and controlling blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol are also crucial. Exercise should not involve pushing through severe pain, and pain that does not settle with rest needs medical assessment.

Diagnosis And Procedures

Diagnosis starts with a medical history, symptom review and a physical examination checking pulses. Doctors may measure the ankle-brachial index or use a Doppler ultrasound scan. In severe cases, a CT angiogram helps locate blockages. Medicines include aspirin or clopidogrel to prevent clots, statins to lower cholesterol, and cilostazol to help some patients walk farther. When symptoms remain disabling, procedures such as angioplasty with a stent, intravascular lithotripsy, atherectomy, thrombectomy or bypass surgery may be used to improve blood flow.

Context

Peripheral artery disease shares common risk factors with heart disease and stroke, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. Managing these underlying health conditions helps protect overall cardiovascular health and prevents severe limb damage.