Many patients have chronic pain on walking. Although this can be caused by a variety of reasons, in many cases it is because of a lack of blood flow to the legs. The most common symptoms are pain which appears after walking a certain distance. The pain tends to occur in the same area in the leg (such as the calf), is relieved by resting for a few minutes, and then recurs at about the same distance when the walking is resumed. This is called "claudication". It is also often associated with a history of smoking or diabetes. A diagnosis can be accurately made by physical examination by a vascular surgeon and an arterial doppler test, which is a simple blood pressure measurement at various positions on the leg. This test can be performed in the office at NYU Vascular Associates.

Treatment is often with exercise and medication. Occasionally, further testing such as angiograms must be performed to pinpoint an areas of blockage in the arteries. These blockages can then be treated by balloon angioplasty or the placement of stents in the arteries. Depending on the nature of the blockage, surgical bypass may be necessary.

Blockage in arteries of the legs usually causes only pain upon walking. However, it may progress to gangrene of the toes or foot if left untreated. If diagnosed at an early stage, preventive measures may be taken to avoid worsening of symptoms.

Are you at Risk?
Take our online quiz now