Is Your Leg Pain Actually a Hidden Heart Problem?

You’re walking across a crowded parking lot, hurrying because it’s raining. Suddenly, you feel a terrible cramping sensation in your lower leg. In that situation, you probably don’t wonder whether you have a heart problem — but maybe you should. 

One of the services our providers at Heart & Vascular Institute offer is treatment for leg pain. Many of our patients with cardiovascular issues experience leg pain. A common symptom of peripheral artery disease (PAD) is claudication, or muscle pain due to reduced blood flow. 

Early signs

Whether you’re walking fast across a parking lot, jogging, or hurriedly climbing stairs, your leg muscles require more blood flow to function. If your arteries have narrowed, the blood can’t get through as quickly as it needs to. The result is uncomfortable cramping. 

The intensity of that cramping feeling depends on several factors, including the severity of the restricted blood flow and the duration of the activity requiring more blood. In the early stages of PAD, the pain likely stops when you rest. 

Progression

Over time, without treatment, your arteries likely become even more blocked. You may start to feel leg pain even when you’re at rest. It can become constant. 

Peripheral artery disease 

This condition is called peripheral artery disease, and it’s common, even though most people don’t realize they have it. PAD results from plaque buildup in your arteries, which narrows the arteries and makes them less flexible. It’s hard for blood to reach your muscles fast.

This plaque buildup is called atherosclerosis. When it affects the blood vessels around your heart, it’s called coronary artery disease, or CAD. 

If you have PAD, it’s likely you also have CAD. The factors that cause atherosclerosis affect your entire body, not only your legs. That’s why leg pain often indicates a problem with your heart. 

Causes of atherosclerosis

Plaque buildup in your arteries occurs for many reasons, and people with PAD often have a combination of risk factors, which include: 

• Being older than 50 
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Genetics 
• Race/ethnicity

If you have these risk factors and experience leg pain, see a specialist to check your heart health. 

Other heart-related causes of leg pain

PAD isn’t the only cause of leg pain that could indicate a heart issue. Venous thromboembolism (VTE), or blood clots, can also cause leg pain. One type of VTE is deep vein thrombosis, or a blood clot in the deep veins of your arms, legs, or pelvis. 

When a blood clot forms in your leg, you’re likely to experience the same cramping feeling in your calf that atherosclerosis causes. You may also notice swelling, a change of skin color, and a feeling of warmth in the affected area.

Get help

It’s easy to dismiss leg pain as just a cramp, but if it persists, schedule an appointment with a cardiovascular specialist. 

Heart & Vascular Institute has six Michigan locations. Schedule an appointment at the most convenient location — we can determine whether your leg pain indicates a heart problem.