Medically Reviewed by Luke Stewart, MD

One in every 20 Americans over the age of 50 has Peripheral Arterial Disease, a condition that raises the risk for heart attack and stroke. McLeod Vascular Surgeon Dr. Luke Stewart explains the causes and symptoms of PAD and how patients can manage their condition.

Peripheral arterial disease is hardening or plaque buildup in the arteries of the legs. It can cause things like calf cramping when you’re walking or even wounds on the feet.

You definitely can have peripheral arterial disease without knowing it. It’s actually very common most of the time. You have to have at least a 70% blockage before you even have symptoms from it, so it can be slowly building over a long period of time before you notice it. The main risk factors are things like high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking. 

The symptoms of peripheral arterial disease are commonly cramping—pain in your calves or thighs when you’re walking that stops when you rest for a minute and then starts again when you begin to walk. Also, wounds on the feet that are slow to heal with time can be a sign of peripheral arterial disease. 

The important thing is for patients to not smoke and have good diabetic control if you have diabetes. Exercise can help alleviate some of the symptoms. You’ll get pain with exercise if you have peripheral arterial disease, but it’ll actually help your body make small channels around blockages and can relieve symptoms with time. Walking is great exercise. We encourage people to walk until they get pain and then try to walk a little bit further, and then the next day try to walk a little bit further than that, and then slowly increase your walking distance with time.

To learn more about peripheral arterial disease, talk with your primary care physician.