The most common symptom of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in the legs is pain in one or both calves, thighs, hips or lower back. The pain usually occurs while you are walking or climbing stairs and stops when you rest. This is because the muscles’ demand for blood increases during walking and other exercise. The narrowed or blocked arteries cannot supply more blood, so the muscles are deprived of oxygen and other nutrients. The pain may also feel like a heaviness, tightness, or tiredness in the legs.

Other symptoms of PVD include the following:

• Numbness, tingling, or weakness in the legs
• Burning or aching pain in the feet or toes while resting
• Leg pain at night that improves when legs dangle off of the bed
• A sore on a leg or a foot that will not heal
• Cramping
• One or both legs or feet feel cold or change color (pale, bluish, dark reddish)
• Buttock and back pain
• Loss of hair on the legs

Treatment Options

Without an adequate blood supply, your body can’t get the oxygen and nutrients it needs to maintain healthy legs, feet and toes. PAD attacks your blood vessels and causes them to block with plaque. “This is something we can fix,” says Dr. Rainwater. Vascular insufficiency is highly treatable with a minimally invasive procedure. “The method of diagnosis, the treatment was unheard of 20 years ago. It’s become so sophisticated and so easy for the patient to tolerate that there’s no reason not to seek answers for this condition,” explains Dr. Rainwater. This treatment helps get patients back on their feet and into their lives with almost no downtime, not stitches and no overnight hospital stay. By identifying and re-establishing blood flow in vessel, symptoms are dramatically improved.

If you or someone you know is suffering from these symptoms or may be at risk, please contact our practice at 480-374-7354, we can help!