Leg pain and leg cramps aren't always an orthopedic issue: Both can be signs of peripheral artery disease, or PAD, a serious blood-flow issue with implications for the heart. In this expert alert, Young Erben, M.D.
, a vascular surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, explains how the most common form, PAD that affects the legs and feet, is treated. Options include a surgical technique from the past that Mayo surgeons are reviving and refining to offer new hope to patients with advanced PAD. In peripheral artery disease , narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the affected limbs.
They do not get enough blood flow to keep up with the demand. It is important to manage PAD as early as possible, Dr. Erben says.
In the worst cases, PAD can progress to open sores that do not heal, causing tissue death and limb loss. Globally, peripheral artery disease tends to be undertreated, even though doctors widely recognize it as a risk factor for heart disease . PAD has become more prevalent in recent years; at least 113 million people worldwide 40 or older have the disease, a 2023 report shows .
"Lower extremity PAD, or PAD in the legs and feet, is a spectrum," Dr. Erben says. "It ranges from people who have leg pain when walking to more advanced cases, where the blood flow to the leg is so impaired that patients are in pain when they're resting or are developing wounds in their toes and feet.
" Common symptoms include leg pain or cramps while walking and small sores on the feet that .