Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a condition in which blood flow to the body’s extremities is limited due to narrow arteries. Most patients feel leg pain when they walk due to insufficient flow of blood to the legs. If you experience leg pain after walking, peripheral arterial disease El Paso will help you through tests and treatment that enhance your quality of life.
Causes
Although the primary cause of the condition is the build-up of fatty cells on the walls of the arteries, other things can cause peripheral artery disease. The other causes include arm or leg injury, exposure to radiation, blood vessel inflammation, and changes to the muscles or ligaments.
Symptoms
If you have peripheral artery disease, you will experience the following symptoms:
- Painful cramping in the legs after walking
- Coldness in the legs or feet
- Change of skin color on legs
- Cramping and aching in the arms when performing tasks
- Erectile dysfunction
- Leg numbness and weakness
- Slower growth of hair or toenails
- Hair loss
Treatments and preventions
There are three major ways to treat peripheral arterial disease. If you have the condition, your doctor will advise you on what to do and what to avoid in order to better manage the condition. The following are the treatments you will receive depending on the causative factor of the disease.
To identify whether you have the condition, doctors carry out various tests, which include blood tests, ultrasound of the feet and legs, ankle-brachial index, and angiography. The tests check for high cholesterol, artery blockages, and differences in blood pressure.
Lifestyle changes
When you receive your diagnosis and find that you have the condition, the first thing doctors recommend is lifestyle changes. Changes to your diet and physical movement are very important to your healing and recovery. Take extra special care of your feet and avoid smoking.
Medications
Patients receive different medications when it comes to treating PAD. You will receive different medications that work to ensure that you do not suffer any complications from the condition.
The medications include:
- Cholesterol medications
- Drugs to prevent blood clots
- Drugs to control blood sugar
- Blood pressure medications
- Pain medications for leg pain
Surgery and other therapies
Doctors turn to surgery as a last resort, especially when other treatment methods have failed. If the condition causes complications like the death of tissues in a leg wound, doctors might recommend amputation of the limb.
The most common surgeries include bypass surgery, angioplasty, stent placement, and thrombolytic therapy. The surgeries function to unclog the arteries, keep them open and dissolve any blood clots.
When to see a doctor
It would be best to visit your doctor when you experience numbness, weakness, or leg pain after certain activities. Just realizing something is not right will help a great deal in recovery.
You can access comprehensive care at Desert West Vein and Surgery Center for PAD, and you will be able to move effortlessly. The qualified specialists at the center will help you with every step. You can regain your movement and activities without pain through consultation, tests, and treatment.
