One of the ways that diabetes impacts your feet is by causing decreased circulation. This becomes dangerous, as poor circulation decreases the amount of time it takes to heal wounds like ulcers (which commonly affect people with diabetes). Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the condition that describes this symptom. As the team of doctors at Gentle Touch Footcare works with patients who have diabetes, knowing risks and prevention tips is a big part of the conversation. Here are some commonly asked questions about the condition:
What causes PAD?
Most commonly, the cause of peripheral arterial disease is another disease: atherosclerosis. In short, atherosclerosis is a result of plaque building up in a patient’s arteries. This condition typically affects the arteries in your legs, but it can also impact other areas.
Are there behaviors that increase my chance of developing PAD?
Elderly patients commonly develop this condition because the plaque buildup has progressed over time. Other risk factors for developing this condition include, among others:
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Smoking
- Cardiovascular disease
- Alcoholism
- Poor diet
- Family history
- Overweight
- High cholesterol
Are there symptoms of this condition?
If you notice any changes to your legs or feet, we always recommend that you schedule an appointment with our office. Symptoms include:
- Feeling cold and having discolored feet or legs
- Non-healing wounds on the feet or legs
- Following exercise, pain in your legs or feet (relieved during rest)
- Lessened or absent foot pulses
- Pain in your legs and feet while resting in the bed
If I have the above symptoms, what’s next?
We will recommend that you take a PAD vascular test. We have state-of-the-art testing procedures, and the test is painless and done in less than 30 minutes.
Early detection of PAD can reduce your chances of conditions that can eventually result in amputations. Make an appointment with our doctors, Bruce Theall, DPM, and Priscilla Seshie, DPM, to allow us to perform a test. Call us today at 973-673-3668. Our office is located at 310 Central Avenue East, Orange, NJ, 07018.