Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) results from plaque (fats and cholesterol) build-up in the arteries. This makes it harder for the blood to flow, especially to your arms and legs. Don’t overlook them if you experience leg pain, tingling, numbness, ulcers, or non-healing wounds, among other symptoms. Visit your cardiologist Bakersfield, CA, for diagnosis and recommendations to improve your heart and leg health. If detected early and properly managed, you can live with PAD and avoid amputation. You would be surprised to learn that you only need to make minor lifestyle changes to keep the problem from developing further. Among the tips to help you live with the disease with minimal stress includes:
Stay on top of other conditions
Conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and blood pressure can worsen PAD. Follow your prescription, talk to your doctor if you have a problem, and watch for changes. Keeping an eye on such conditions keeps your overall health in good shape, helping to keep PAD from worsening.
Exercise
The likely pain you can experience can make it harder to maintain your exercise regimen. Nonetheless, it is crucial that you keep exercising. It is tempting to cut back, but don’t quit. You can pull through the pain and maintain good exercise. Simple measures such as walking, resting when it hurts, and continuing after the pain fades, can help you maintain practical exercise and keep PAD from worsening. You can also work with your doctor to find more exercise options, especially ones you like and are likely to stick with, including swimming, cycling, and yoga, to mention a few.
Nutrition
You may have to give up some diets. Saturated fats, common in animal products, artificial trans fats, palm and coconut oil, sugar, salt, and alcohol are some you should cut back. Stick to heart-healthy diets, including vegetables, fruits, lean meat, whole grains, and plant oils. The tip here is to adopt a nutrition regimen that lowers blood pressure and keeps your cholesterol and weight under control. This keeps your heart in great shape and ensures blood circulates well throughout the body.
Give your legs/feet more love
How often do you check your legs/feet for blisters, cracks, and sores, among other concerns that are not right? How about the shoes you wear; are they comfortable enough? Do you keep your feet warm during the cold seasons? Caring for the limbs can help you pick on signs and tell if PAD is worsening. Measures such as compression socks should also be avoided. If your doctor recommended them to prevent clots and swelling, revisit it to ensure they don’t worsen PAD. Proper care facilitates free blood flow, keeping infections at bay. This makes it easier to keep exercising since it will not hurt much, helping manage PAD.
Revisit your habits
If you are a smoker, stopping the habit will help you avoid PAD escalation. Apart from increasing the risks of stroke and heart attack, smoking makes it harder for the arteries to carry blood, worsening PAD.
Keeping PAD from developing further with a few changes to your routine can help. You may also need prescription medication to prevent blood clots, improve blood flow to the legs, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Following the prescriptions and ensuring you don’t miss scheduled appointments can help you manage PAD and avoid amputation. Visit Heart Vascular and Leg Center today and learn more, making it easier to adopt an effective regimen and manage PAD.
