You walk through a grocery store, around the neighborhood, or across a parking lot and your calf begins to ache. You stop for a few minutes, the discomfort fades, and you continue walking.
It can be tempting to blame this pattern on age.
However, recurring leg pain while walking that improves with rest can be a symptom of peripheral artery disease, or PAD.
Leg Pain Is Not Automatically a Normal Part of Aging
Muscles and joints naturally change with age, but persistent pain should not simply be accepted without understanding its cause.
PAD becomes more common as people get older, which may be one reason circulation-related symptoms are sometimes mistakenly attributed to aging.
The important question is not simply how old you are. It is when the pain happens and what makes it stop.
What Is Peripheral Artery Disease?
PAD is a cardiovascular condition in which arteries supplying blood to the legs become narrowed, commonly because of atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fatty plaque inside artery walls.
When those arteries narrow, your muscles may receive enough blood while you are sitting but struggle to receive enough when you become active.
Why Walking Can Trigger PAD Symptoms
Walking makes your leg muscles work harder.
Working muscles need additional oxygen and nutrients delivered through the bloodstream. If the arteries cannot increase blood flow enough, discomfort may develop.
This type of activity-related discomfort is called claudication.
It may feel like:
- Cramping
- Aching
- Burning
- Tightness
- Fatigue
- Heaviness
The pain may occur in the calf, thigh, hip, or buttock.
The Rest-and-Repeat Pattern Matters
One of the biggest clues is consistency.
You may notice that discomfort starts after walking approximately the same distance, improves after resting for several minutes, and returns when you begin walking again.
That pattern is different from many joint or muscle conditions.
Other Signs That Could Point to Circulation
PAD does not always cause classic walking pain.
Other possible symptoms include:
- Cold feet or toes
- Numbness or tingling
- Weakness in the legs
- Changes in skin color
- Hair loss on the lower legs
- Slow-growing toenails
- Non-healing sores
- Foot pain while resting
Some people have few noticeable symptoms at all.
Who Is at Greater Risk for PAD?
Risk increases with factors such as:
- Smoking or previous tobacco use
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Older age
- Kidney disease
- Personal or family history of cardiovascular disease
Having several risk factors makes unexplained walking discomfort even more important to discuss with a healthcare provider.
How Can a Vascular Specialist Check Your Circulation?
Evaluation may include reviewing your symptoms, checking pulses in your legs and feet, and performing noninvasive vascular testing.
One commonly used test is the ankle-brachial index, or ABI, which compares blood pressure in your ankle with blood pressure in your arm.
Further testing may be recommended depending on the results and your symptoms.
Don’t Let Leg Pain Quietly Reduce Your Life
One challenge with PAD is that people often adapt.
They stop taking walks, avoid stairs, park closer, or sit more often. Eventually they may not realize how much leg discomfort has changed their daily routine.
Finding the cause is the first step toward developing an appropriate treatment plan.
At Vascular Centers of America, we specialize in evaluating and treating circulation problems affecting the legs and feet.
If walking has become painful or your mobility has changed, contact Vascular Centers of America to learn whether vascular testing may be appropriate for you.