You, or a family member, has decided to go on a nice walk. The sun is shining, the day is warm, the fresh air smells beautiful, and you are happy to leave your apartment for a while. After a block or two, you feel pain in one or both legs. Unhappily, you decide to find a place to sit down so the pain will go away. All of us walk from time to time. It may be because we to go to the store, or to do errands for our family—or it may be a nice walk for simple enjoyment. These are the kind of walks that are not fast paced or overly long, but a normal walk for a reasonable distance that should not cause any physical problem.
Why would a nice walk have to be interrupted so dramatically by soreness and aching in your legs? You say to yourself, “I didn’t walk that far, and I wasn’t running.” What is going on?
That painful condition in your legs may be caused by a condition known in medicine as Claudication. Claudication is caused by too little blood flow to muscles during exercise. Most of the time the pain occurs in the legs after walking at a pace for a certain distance. The more serious the condition, the greater the pain and/or the shorter the distance required to cause pain. The condition may be called Intermittent Claudication because the pain is not constant; it begins with exertion and ends with rest. As the condition worsens, however, it may become continuous. The pain can occur in the calves, thighs, buttocks hips or feet.
What causes claudication? As stated above, Claudication is pain caused by too little blood flow to muscles during exercise. But why would someone have too little blood flow to their muscles? Most often, Claudication is a symptom of peripheral artery disease. Peripheral arteries are those blood vessels that deliver blood to the many smaller vessels, and from there to the muscles, in your legs and arms. Peripheral artery disease is damage to an artery or arteries that restricts the flow of blood to legs or even arms. The damage, and resultant restriction of blood flow, is usually caused by atherosclerosis (the build-up of cholesterol and other fats, blood cells, and other debris that causes a narrowing and hardening of the lining of an artery. This condition limits the flow of blood through the artery. It is the type of problem that usually occurs to people who are 50 years of age or older.
In some cases, the narrowing of the arteries is caused by a process called vasculitis. This is a condition that causes inflammation of the blood vessels, which also results in decreased blood flow. Arteritis is usually systemic (throughout the entire body) and can progress rapidly. It commonly presents itself like claudication, but can affect younger people as well.
COMPLICATIONS. Claudication in the peripheral arteries is a warning of insufficient blood flow in the circulatory system. As the condition worsens, if left undiagnosed or not properly treated, it can lead to:
- Skin lesions or openings that do not heal;
- Death of tissue or muscle causing gangrene;
- Amputation of the affected limb(s).
Legal Responsibility. It is important that a person who has symptoms seeks medical help as early as possible to prevent the condition from worsening and to obtain necessary care. Many times, the problem can be alleviated with early treatment. Too often, a physician or health care provider dismisses the patient’s complaints of pain as simply musculoskeletal pain or a muscle strain. Thereafter, the patient’s condition gets worse, it becomes too late for treatment, and terrible injuries result, including amputation and prolonged hospitalization.
Sanocki Newman & Turret, LLP has been successful in handling cases involving people who have had devastating injuries and amputations due to the carelessness of a physician, hospital or other health care provider in failing to promptly diagnose and treat a patient suffering from claudication.
Should you have questions or require assistance, please call Sanocki Newman & Turret, LLP. (212) 962-1190.