Leg cramps are often blamed on dehydration, aging, overuse, or tight muscles. However, when discomfort repeatedly begins while walking and improves after resting, it may be a warning sign of peripheral artery disease (PAD).
PAD reduces blood flow to the legs and feet. Recognizing the signs early is especially important for people with diabetes, neuropathy, heart disease, or a history of smoking.
What Is Peripheral Artery Disease?
Peripheral artery disease occurs when arteries become narrowed by plaque buildup. This limits the amount of oxygen-rich blood reaching the muscles of the legs and feet.
Your muscles may receive enough blood while you are sitting or resting. When you begin walking, however, they need more oxygen. If narrowed arteries cannot meet that increased demand, you may experience cramping, aching, heaviness, or fatigue.
This activity-related discomfort is called intermittent claudication.
PAD is more than a foot or leg condition. Because it is commonly associated with atherosclerosis, it may also be a sign of an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
What Does PAD Leg Pain Feel Like?
PAD-related leg pain or discomfort may include:
- Cramping or aching
- Tightness or heaviness
- Burning sensations
- Muscle fatigue or weakness
- Pain in the calf, thigh, hip, or buttock
- Discomfort that begins after walking a predictable distance
- Pain that improves within several minutes of resting
- Symptoms that return when walking resumes
Some people unconsciously reduce their activity, avoid stairs, or begin walking more slowly. As a result, they may not realize that PAD is limiting their mobility.
One of the most important patterns to recognize is pain that begins after approximately the same amount of walking, improves with rest, and then returns when activity resumes.
What Are Other Signs of Poor Circulation in the Legs and Feet?
Peripheral artery disease does not always cause obvious leg cramps. Other warning signs of poor circulation may include:
- One foot feeling colder than the other
- Pale, red, blue, or unusually dark skin
- Thin, shiny, or dry skin
- Loss of hair on the feet or lower legs
- Thickened toenails or slow nail growth
- Weak or difficult-to-detect foot pulses
- Numbness, weakness, or heaviness
- Foot or toe pain while resting
- Sores on the feet or toes that heal slowly or do not heal
- Dark or black tissue around a toe or wound
A nonhealing wound may be one of the first visible signs that the tissues are not receiving enough blood.
Did You Know Your Feet Have Pulses Too?
There are two commonly examined arteries in each foot, giving your podiatrist four foot pulses to evaluate.
At Valley Foot Care, checking circulation is an important part of the foot examination, particularly for patients with:
- Diabetes
- Neuropathy
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Heart disease
- A history of smoking
- Nonhealing sores
- Changes in skin temperature or color
- Difficulty walking because of leg pain
Your feet can provide valuable information about your overall circulation and vascular health.
Who Is at Greater Risk for Peripheral Artery Disease?
PAD becomes more common with age, but it should not simply be considered a normal part of getting older.
Risk factors include:
- Smoking or a history of smoking
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Kidney disease
- Heart disease
- A previous heart attack or stroke
- A family history of vascular disease
- Being over age 60
People with diabetes may also have neuropathy that reduces their ability to feel pain. This means circulation problems, injuries, or wounds can become more serious before they are noticed.
How Is Peripheral Artery Disease Evaluated?
A podiatric circulation evaluation may include:
- Discussing when and where your discomfort occurs
- Examining the skin, toenails, and temperature of the feet
- Checking pulses in both feet
- Looking for wounds, discoloration, or tissue changes
- Evaluating sensation for signs of neuropathy
- Assessing capillary refill and other circulation findings
When appropriate, additional testing may be recommended.
An ankle-brachial index (ABI) compares blood pressure at the ankle with blood pressure in the arm. Ultrasound studies and other vascular tests may also be used to evaluate blood flow.
If significant circulation problems are suspected, referral to a vascular specialist may be recommended.
When Should You Schedule a Foot and Circulation Evaluation?
Consider scheduling an evaluation if you notice:
- Calf, thigh, or buttock pain while walking
- Symptoms that improve after resting
- Pain that returns when you begin walking again
- A decline in how far you can comfortably walk
- Cold feet or noticeable temperature differences between the feet
- Changes in skin color
- Weak foot pulses
- A blister, cut, or sore that is not healing
- Foot pain while resting or during the night
Recurring leg pain should not automatically be attributed to age or poor conditioning. PAD can be managed, and identifying circulation problems early may help protect mobility and reduce the risk of more serious complications.
When Is Leg or Foot Pain an Emergency?
Seek immediate medical attention if you experience:
- Sudden, severe leg or foot pain
- A foot that suddenly becomes cold, pale, blue, or black
- Sudden numbness or weakness
- Loss of movement or feeling in the foot
- Rapidly worsening discoloration
- Signs of infection surrounding a foot wound
- Chest pain, difficulty breathing, or symptoms of a stroke
These symptoms may indicate a severe interruption of blood flow or another medical emergency.
Don’t Ignore What Your Feet Are Telling You
If leg cramps repeatedly appear while walking and disappear when you rest, your circulation should be evaluated. This is particularly important if you have diabetes, neuropathy, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or a history of smoking.
Valley Foot Care has been caring for patients throughout the Phoenix area since 1997. Our experienced, board-certified podiatrists evaluate foot circulation, neuropathy, nonhealing wounds, and other conditions that can affect comfort, mobility, and independence.
New patients are welcome, and same-week appointments may be available.