Many people who find walking painful may believe that it is related to arthritis or is a natural effect of aging. Quite often it is the result of the blockage of the arteries of the leg due to atherosclerosis called peripheral vascular disease (PVD). It commonly affects men and women over 50 who often also suffer from heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, and are smokers. PVD affects about one in 20 people over the age of 50. People with early PVD will be asymptomatic at rest, but on walking they will get a crampy pain in their calf muscles, thighs, or buttocks.
With very severe blockage, the patients may get rest pain in their toes and feet. Other symptoms may include numbness, tingling, weakness, burning, or aching in the leg. Rarely, there may be no obvious early symptoms. This was seen in an otherwise very active diabetic hypertensive lady golfer…
