Published: Strategies for Running in Humid Conditions

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What Is Peripheral Artery Disease?

Clearwater, Florida resident Clint Coffman serves as a franchise representative for Medtronic, a maker of vascular surgical equipment. To give his customers up-to-date information, Clint Coffman of Clearwater is well-versed on peripheral artery disease (PAD).

PAD occurs when the limbs, generally the legs, receive an insufficient supply of blood. It also indicates the presence of fatty arterial deposits elsewhere in the body that reduce blood flow to the brain and heart.

The most common symptom of PAD is leg pain (most often in the calves) while walking or climbing stairs, a problem known as claudication. The leg muscles may cramp and hurt, but usually, this discomfort goes away after resting several minutes. Claudication can severely interfere with walking or other activity.

Looking at the symptoms in more detail, painful cramps can also crop up in the hips or thighs. Other symptoms include weakness in the legs, along with coldness below the knee. Changes in skin color, sores that will not heal, shiny skin, as well as hair loss or slowed hair growth are also common causes of PAD.

An absent or weak pulse or erectile dysfunction are other indicators. As PAD gets worse, you may feel pain even when resting or lying down. Even if symptoms are not present, persons over 65 should be screened for PAD. Those over 50 with past diabetes or smoking should also be checked, as well as anyone under 50 with diabetes or risk factors such as hypertension or obesity.