That Intermittent Discomfort in Your Legs Could Be Claudication

New York City is a walking city, but you’re not getting around on your feet as much. These days, one or both of your legs feel heavy and achy, or they cramp up when you hoof it along the sidewalks. These symptoms could point toward claudication, a condition in which your muscles aren’t getting enough oxygenated blood.

Claudication is often the first sign of a common cardiovascular disease called peripheral artery disease (PAD), which affects between 8 and 12 million people in the United States.

To help you figure out whether the discomfort in your legs when you walk is related to your cardiovascular health, cardiologist Dr. Satjit Bhusri and our team at Upper East Cardiology discuss claudication in further detail here.

Telltale signs of claudication

Let’s start with some of the common signs of claudication. Most of our patients describe it as a dull ache, heaviness, or fatigue in their leg when they walk, which goes away almost immediately when they stop to rest, which is why we refer to the condition as intermittent claudication.

The discomfort often develops in the muscles in your calves, around your knees, in your thighs, or even up in your buttocks. Please note that claudication only affects your muscles and not your joints. As well, most people develop claudication in one leg. Though both legs can have the condition, one leg is often worse than the other.

In the early stages, claudication may only show up after walking a long distance. As the problem progresses, however, you can run into the leg discomfort on a short walk around the block.

Behind the claudication

As we already mentioned, claudication mostly stems from peripheral artery disease, a condition in which the peripheral arteries in the legs are narrower than they should be, which impedes the flow of oxygenated blood to the muscles in the lower extremities. 

With PAD, which is also called atherosclerosis, plaque builds up inside the blood vessel, slowly narrowing the passageway and compromising your circulation. As a result, your muscles aren’t getting the oxygen they need, especially when you’re on your feet and moving, which is why you encounter an ache or heaviness.

We also want to point out that not everyone who has PAD develops claudication — 4 out of 10 people with PAD don’t develop the leg symptoms.

How we address claudication

For starters, if you’re experiencing the leg discomfort described above, you shouldn’t ignore it. Claudication is a red flag for cardiovascular disease, and the earlier we treat it, the better your outcome.

If we find that PAD is behind your claudication, we typically recommend a combination of treatments: 1) medications to help your blood flow more smoothly and 2) lifestyle changes, such as eating healthier foods and exercising.

In closing, we want you to know that expert treatment of claudication and peripheral artery disease is just a phone call or click away. To get started, request an appointment online at our New York City office on the Upper East Side of Manhattan or call us at (212) 752-3464.