September is PAD awareness month, what is Peripheral Artery Disease?

 

 Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is also known as peripheral artery disease (PAD), or leg artery disease, and affects nearly 10 million people in the U.S. alone. The arteries affected by PAD provide blood supply to the legs. When these arteries are partially or completely blocked, they can cause a great deal of pain during physical activity or even at rest.

 So, who is atrisk for PAD? There are several potential risks factors that all patients should be aware of. 
Those include:

 - Smoking

 - High blood pressure                            

 - Diabetes

 - High cholesterol

 - Obesity

 - Age > 60

 - Family history of vascular disease

 

 

PAD can present with several different symptoms.  Common symptoms that patients experience include:

 - Leg pain when walking

 - Cramping or pain in the leg muscles brought on with the increased physical activity

 - Weakness or numbness in the legs

 - The legs or feet feeling cold

 - A change in color of the legs

 - Sores on the legs or feet that do not heal

A healthy lifestyle can help to reduce the likelihood of not developing peripheral arterial disease.  Avoiding smoking, increasing exercise and physical activity, and eating a diet of nutritious foods can all help to reduce risk.

At VidaVascular, we offer a complimentary screening to determine a diagnosis and we are committed to providing our quality service with exceptional patient care!

To schedule a free screening at a VidaVascular office in Northern Virginia (convenient to Springfield, Fairfax, Alexandria, Arlington, Woodbridge), Maryland (convenient to National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Waldorf, La Plata, and Clinton), and Washington DC., Call us today! 866-800-2346

 Visit Us at :

https://www.vidavascular.com/arterial-disease/