Claudication

Claudication

It is defined as the decrease blood flow to the muscles while doing exercise due to which pain is occur in muscles. Mostly it involved leg muscles. Pain is occurred after running or exercise and is not continue therefore it is also called intermittent claudication.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of claudication include:Restless Legs Syndrome, Bone painBroken Leg

  • Pain and discomfort in muscles
  • Fatigue
  • Pain gets better after rest
  • Pain occur in calves, thighs, buttocks and feet.
Causes

It is mostly occurred in peripheral artery disease. These arteries supply the blood to the muscles of legs and arms. In peripheral artery disease, damage occluded the arteries and decrease the blood flow to the muscles due to which hypoxemia occur.

Complications

If left untreated it may cause the following complications:

  • Skin lesions
  • Ischemic necrosis of muscles
  • Gangrene
  • Amputation of affected limb
Diagnosis

After taking medical history and conducting a physical examination of affected limb your doctor might recommended the following test to diagnosis the causes:

  • Exercise test to check pain during exertion.
  • Pulse measurement
  • Doppler ultrasound to check the blood flow
  • Ankle brachial index to compare the blood pressure between arms and legs
  • MRI and CT scan to check the condition of vessels
Treatment

The main aim of treatment is to reduce the pain and treat the underlying pain. Treatment options include:

  • Exercise to reduce the pain and improve the condition of blood vessels.
  • Decrease cholesterol level by using statins
  • Pain killer for pain
  • Drugs to reduce blood pressure
  • Anti-platelet drugs to prevent clot formation
  • Surgical options include angioplasty and vascular surgery
Lifestyle and Home Remedies

A healthy lifestyle along with right treatment will provide you a better result:

  • Exercise daily
  • Stop smoking
  • Eat a healthy food
  • Massage your legs
  • Wore socks
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