That Leg Pain May Be
More Than a Nuisance

That Leg Pain May Be
More Than a Nuisance

Each year in the United States,cardiovascular disease kills half amillion women. This exceeds the tollof the next seven causes of death inwomen combined.

An often-ignored warning sign ofcardiovascular disease is pain in yourcalf, thigh, or buttocks muscles. Thispain worsens during exercise but stopswithin about five minutes of rest.

If you experience such leg painwhen you walk, tell your doctor. Youmay have a condition called peripheralarterial disease (PAD). The legpain of PAD is a signal that cloggedarteries in your legs cannot deliverthe oxygen-rich blood that workingleg muscles require.

PAD matters because it suggestsblockages in even more crucialarteries. Narrowed arteries to yourheart could cause chest pain or evena heart attack. Clogged arteries toyour brain could result in a stroke.

Fortunately, PAD often can bemanaged with these lifestyle changes:

  1. Don’t smoke. Smoking is the singlemost important risk factor for PAD.A recent article concluded that people who use nicotine replacementtherapy are at least one and a halftimes as likely as nonusers to succeedin long-term quitting.
  2. Maintain normal cholesterol levels.If lifestyle changes don’t reduce thecrucial numbers, you may need totake cholesterol-lowering drugs.
  3. If you have diabetes, control yourblood sugar. Diabetes boosts yourrisk for PAD and other cardiovascularcomplications. In fact, a recent articlein the journal Circulation reported that these risks are higher for womenthan they are for men.
  4. Get plenty of physical activity.More than 20 controlled trials haveconcluded that the most effectivesingle treatment for PAD is exercise,according to an article in the journal

American Family Physician.


PAD, which affects at least 5 millionAmerican adults, strikes as manywomen as men. It’s especially commonin African-Americans.


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