Are You at Risk for Peripheral Arterial Disease?

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At Goldsmith Podiatry, we caution patients never to ignore foot or leg pain. Although many times pain in your lower extremities can be overworked muscles, persistent pain, or a feeling of fatigue in your legs and feet, this can also be the sign of a serious disease. One such condition that our podiatrists, Dr. Howard Goldsmith and Dr. Rosanna Troia keep an eye out for is peripheral arterial disease or PAD for short.

PAD occurs when plaque (fatty deposits) accumulate in the arteries in your legs, causing them to become narrowed or blocked. This decreases circulation and makes it difficult for wounds and skin ulcers to heal. In fact, PAD and diabetes are the leading reasons for leg and foot amputation. Patients with PAD also have a two to six time's greater chance of death from stroke or heart attack.

Diagnosing PAD

In addition to pain, other symptoms of PAD include a feeling of fatigue or tiredness in your legs, thighs, or buttocks. The discomfort happens when you are walking and usually stops when you rest. Some patients may also experience toe or foot pain that makes it difficult to sleep at night. If you have any of these symptoms, it’s important that you make an appointment at our Upper West Side office for a checkup. The foot doctor can do an easy test known as an ankle-brachial index. For this test, the podiatrist measures the blood pressure in your ankles and your arms and compares the readings. If you do not have a normal ABI, further tests may be ordered to determine the severity of your PAD.

Prevention and Treatment

Patients with PAD often have one or more of the following risk factors:

  • Obesity

  • High blood pressure

  • High cholesterol

  • Smoker

  • Physically inactive

Fortunately, making healthy lifestyle changes such as eating a nutritious diet to control blood sugar and weight, exercising regularly and stopping smoking can go a long way to reducing your risk for PAD and slowing its progression. There are also surgical options available for arteries that are blocked.

If you have unexplained leg or foot pain, don’t delay. Contact us today by calling: 212-877-1002.

Blog, Foot Pain, Proper Foot CareGoldsmith Podiatryleg pain, foot pain, circulation issues, blood flow