Living With Peripheral Arterial Disease

Ongoing Health Care Needs

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) can be treated and controlled.

If you are experiencing pain in calf or thigh muscles after walking (intermittent claudication), try to take a break and allow the pain to ease before walking again. Over time, this should increase the distance that you can walk without pain.

Check your feet and toes regularly for sores or any possible infection. Wear comfortable shoes that fit well. Maintain good foot hygiene and have professional medical treatment for corns, bunions, or calluses.

Be sure to keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar (if diabetic) within normal ranges. Continue to carefully check your feet daily for any sores or infections.

Treatment should decrease pain when walking and allow you to walk longer distances without discomfort. There should be less painful cramping of leg muscles. There may be improvement in the skin's appearance and improvement in ulcers on your legs and feet.

Support Groups

The Peripheral Arterial Disease Coalition is an alliance of leading health organizations, vascular health professional organizations, and Government agencies that have united to raise public and health professional awareness about lower extremity PAD. The coalition’s Patient Education Workgroup is developing patient education tools.

The Amputee Coalition of America and National Limb Loss Information Center provide support for people with limb loss.

Long-Term Care

For severe cases of chronic clinical limb ischemia (CLI), a patient may be bed-bound and need total supportive care. CLI is a severe blockage of the arteries that seriously decreases blood flow to the hands, legs, and feet. People with severe CLI may experience burning pain in the affected limb, and they can suffer from wounds that do not heal or from tissue death (gangrene).