Most people don’t realize it, but leg pain often indicates an underlying issue with your veins and arteries. At Advanced Heart Care Associates, which has a location in Henderson, Nevada, and two locations in Las Vegas, Nevada, board-certified cardiologists diagnose and treat the underlying causes of leg pain like chronic venous insufficiency and peripheral artery disease (PAD). To learn more about leg pain causes and how to manage it, call Advanced Heart Care Associates or book an appointment online today.
Leg pain is any discomfort, including cramping, that affects either or both of your lower extremities. It often comes with other symptoms such as visible veins, numbness, or ulcers.
Although leg pain appears in the lower extremities, many conditions that cause leg pain originate within the cardiovascular system. Leg pain is often a sign of conditions that cause poor circulation, meaning they inhibit blood flow.
Although it’s also possible to experience leg pain due to musculoskeletal injury or fatigue, you should get an evaluation for any ongoing leg pain that doesn’t seem to have a discernible cause.
Advanced Heart Care Associates specializes in managing leg pain that comes from conditions affecting the vascular system. They diagnose you using a physical exam as well as specific tests such as angiography, ultrasound imaging, and ankle-brachial index (ABI).
The cardiologists at Advanced Heart Care Associates routinely manage leg pain from:
Peripheral artery disease is the most common vascular cause of leg pain. It’s a condition that occurs when your arteries get narrower, thereby reducing blood flow to the legs. Usually, leg pain from peripheral artery disease is at its worst when you’re walking.
Chronic venous insufficiency, another common cause of leg pain, occurs when there is no problem with blood flowing into your legs, but your veins struggle to carry blood back upward toward your heart. The symptoms include varicose veins and leg pain.
Treating leg pain from circulatory conditions requires personalized care from a cardiologist. Your provider at Advanced Heart Care Associates creates a treatment plan based on your current health, health history, and the severity of your condition. It may involve:
Improving circulation is essential for treating leg pain. Your provider can help you implement more exercise into your routine, quit smoking, or use compression stockings.
There are a variety of medications that can treat leg pain by addressing underlying problems with blood circulation. Some prescriptions that serve this purpose are cholesterol-lowering medications, blood pressure-lowering medications, and anticoagulants.
Less invasive treatments are the preferred options for treating leg pain, but if the underlying issue is severe, you may need angioplasty for peripheral artery disease or endovenous laser ablation for chronic venous insufficiency. There are surgeries as well to address leg pain from these conditions.
Schedule an appointment at Advanced Heart Care Associates for a leg pain evaluation by calling the office or booking online today.