Most people think leg pain is a natural sign of aging. It is easy to dismiss that agonizing cramping feeling on a walk if it goes away with rest. But experts warn that these are signs that something more ominous is going on in your arteries.
Dr. Sumit Kapadia, one of the finest vascular and endovascular specialists, recently shared a case of a patient who had blamed his leg pain on age. He described, “My legs hurt when I walked, but when I sat down, the pain went away. I figured it was not too bad.” After they probed further, they discovered that the cause was blocked arteries in the legs, or Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD).
PAD affects blood flow to the lower body and, if not treated, can lead to severe problems like infections, ulcers, or amputation. Early detection is key, and in his patients, Dr. Kapadia regularly sees these six early warning signs: