Leg pain can be a precursor to far more serious problems
(HealthDay News) – The way to a person's heart may not be through the stomach, as the adage says.
Instead, the path may be through the legs, and it's a dangerous one.
Chronic pain in the legs is usually dismissed as simply part of the aging process.
In fact, such pain in the legs is often caused by the same kind of hardening of the arteries that is associated with heart disease, and therefore leg pain should be treated just as seriously as heart pain.
The leg pain is often the result of a condition called peripheral vascular disease, or PVD, a common but potentially fatal disease that is caused by blocked blood flow to the arteries.
The condition, which is characterized by pain or swelling in the legs, difficulty walking, numbness and skin discoloration, affects no less than 10 million Americans, who are typically over the age of 50.
Legs For Life, a national non-profit organization founded in 1997 by the Society of Interventional Radiology, offers an annual free nationwide program offers screenings in which patients are asked to fill out a lifestyle questionnaire to help determine their risk for PVD.
A 10-minute screening exam involves taking a person's arm and ankle blood pressure to assess the potential for disease. Screenings are conducted by appointment, which you can set up by visiting www.legsforlife.org.
According to Dr. Peter T. Beatty, past chairman for the screening program in Portland , Ore. , the symptoms of hardening of arteries are very much the same, whether they're in the chest or legs.
"The vast majority of Americans know about angina or chest pain. They know that the pain may start when they walk up stairs or maybe walk to the grocery store, and they know that the pain goes away with rest," he says.
"The classic symptoms of PVD are similar -- cramping, numbness or pain in your legs when you walk a consistent distance that might be different for everyone -- maybe it's when you walk to get your mail or just walking to the bathroom. But every time you do that, you have the same feeling, and when you stop and rest, the pain goes away," he adds.
"What's happening is the muscle -- either the heart or the leg -- isn't getting enough oxygen. The oxygen is carried by the blood, so if you have a narrowing of the blood vessels and you're not getting enough blood flow to your heart or legs, you have pain."
Dr. Gerald Fletcher, a cardiologist with the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville , Fla. , advises that if you're at risk for heart disease, count yourself at risk for PVD, too.
"The risk factors are just like those for coronary artery disease -- high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, hereditary factors and, certainly, lack of exercise," Fletcher says.
Doctors say lifestyle changes can reduce most of those risk factors.
"This is one type of disease that can really be improved with light exercise and without harming a muscle," says Fletcher.
"With heart disease, you might do too much harm if you exercise too much. But with the skeletal muscle in the leg, you can frequently walk on the treadmill and you get better circulation," he adds.
Equally important are things like quitting smoking and getting exercise. But most important, however, is simply being aware of the symptoms, notes Beatty.
"The whole goal for Legs for Life is understanding the symptoms of this major public health issue and educating the public and primary care physicians that the reason people's legs hurt when they walk may not be because they're getting older. It may be because they have PVD," he says.
On the Web
Visit Legs For Life for much more information, including setting up an examination in your city or town.
SOURCES:
Peter T. Beatty, M.D., past chairman, Legs for Life National Screening Program for PVD, Portland, Ore.; Gerald Fletcher, M.D., cardiologist, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla.; news release, Legs for Life
Author:
Nancy A. Melville, HealthDay Reporter
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