The human body contains a whopping 60,000 miles of vessels that circulate your blood, and the entirety of your blood makes three round trips to your heart every minute. Just like a highway system, a blockage anywhere along the route, especially in major arteries, can have a significant impact on your health.
Such is the case with peripheral artery disease (PAD), which affects 1 out of every 20 Americans over the age of 50. The risk factors associated with PAD include serious issues like heart attack and stroke, but the condition can also lead to problems in your feet — potentially life-altering ones.
As foot health experts, our team at Neuhaus Foot and Ankle wants to weigh in on peripheral artery disease and why we’re concerned about this cardiovascular issue. Let’s take a look.
Far and away, our biggest concern when it comes to PAD and your feet is slow-healing foot wounds. When you have PAD, your major arteries are narrowed due to blockages made up of fatty plaques that limit blood flow to your legs.
This lack of adequate blood supply means that even the smallest blister or cut can turn into a big problem because your body is unable to deliver healing resources to the wound. The lack of oxygen, nutrients, and immune cells slows the healing process and leaves the wound far more vulnerable to infection. And, once infection sets in, you’re unable to fight it off for the same reasons that the wound was slow to heal in the first place — limited blood supply.
To put some numbers to this problem, up to a third of people with diabetes also have PAD. And up to a third of people with diabetes also develop slow-healing foot ulcers. Thanks to this crossover between PAD and diabetes, slow-healing foot ulcers are a clear danger, and they account for the majority of lower limb amputations in the United States.
For obvious reasons, foot ulcers are our primary concern when it comes to PAD. However, the condition can affect your feet in other ways, such as:
As you might imagine, a lack of blood flow to your feet can lead to a host of issues, both minor and more serious.
If any of the above symptoms sound familiar, it’s time to have us check you out. Our offices are equipped with Smart ABI® (ankle brachial index), which is a frontline technique for diagnosing PAD. With the ABI, we can assess the blood pressure in your feet by comparing it to that in your arms. If it’s much lower, it indicates PAD.
If you do have PAD, there are ways we can help you protect your feet while you work with your primary care provider to improve your overall circulation.
To avoid the foot complications linked to PAD, contact one of our 13 locations in Tennessee to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced foot specialists.
