Free Yourself from the Pain of Peripheral Vascular Disease

—by Dr. Peter Purcell

Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is quite common in our region and a cause of pain and misery for many. It occurs when cholesterol clogs up the arteries that carry blood to the feet and large muscles of the legs. People older than age 50 are at an increased risk for the condition.

Symptoms of PVD include leg pain, cramping, heaviness, numbness in the feet, and burning. These symptoms usually first occur when walking longer distances. As PVD progresses, symptoms occur even when the patient is at rest, such as when sitting or sleeping. Progression of PVD can result in infections in the feet and legs that may ultimately lead to limb loss by amputation. The risk for limb loss is particularly high in patients with diabetes.

Depending on the severity of the disease and the patient’s risk factors for progression, PVD treatment varies widely. Some patients can be treated by addressing their risk factors, making lifestyle changes, and engaging in exercise therapy. Others may need to take one or more medications to improve blood flow.

Patients with severe PVD may need to undergo endovascular treatment with angioplasty, atherectomy, stenting, or a combination of these and other endovascular techniques. Most of these treatments are done on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia. Results are usually excellent and recovery is rapid—typically one to two days before resuming normal activity. Best results are generally obtained if treatment begins before irreversible damage to the leg occurs. This is why early diagnosis is so crucial.