Get the Facts about Peripheral Arterial Disease

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is a serious condition that can adversely affect your feet and your entire body. At NY Foot Health, we want to share important facts about this disease and what you can do about it.

WHAT: PAD is the term for a narrowing of the arteries of your legs due to the buildup of fatty deposits and plaque. As the amount of plaque in the arteries increases, they can begin to harden and get narrower or even blocked. Poor circulation results, meaning that the blood flow to your legs and feet is reduced. This can have cause several problems:

  • Wounds on your lower extremities can be slow to heal and may become infected. PAD and diabetes are the two leading causes of amputation.

  • Pain in your toes and feet that may keep you up at night.

  • If PAD goes undetected it can also occur in arteries that lead to the heart, brain, arms, stomach, and kidneys. PAD can increase our risk of death from a stroke or heart attack by 2 to 6 times.

WHO: Currently PAD affects 8 to 12 million Americans. One in every five people over the age of 70 have PAD. That number may be even higher because in some patients PAD does not cause any pain or discomfort until there’s a complete blockage.

WHY: There are several risk factors for PAD, many of which are controllable by lifestyle choices. These include:

Patients who do experience symptoms of PAD report feelings of tiredness or fatigue in their legs as well as pain in the legs, thighs or buttocks that is present when walking but goes away when resting. Wounds or skin injuries on the feet that don’t seem to be healing are another potential indicator of PAD. If you have noticed any of these signs it’s important that you make an appointment with your podiatrist. Don’t have a foot doctor currently? Use our online directory to find one near you. To learn more about podiatric disorders contact us and subscribe to our free e-newsletter.

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