How to Reduce Your Peripheral Vascular Disease Symptoms

Healthy blood vessels carry oxygen-rich blood throughout your body. When you have peripheral vascular disease (PVD), your blood vessels gradually narrow or become blocked. This disrupts blood circulation, particularly in your legs and feet, making way for bothersome symptoms.

With his expert team at Midtown Manhattan practice, double board-certified vascular and interventional radiologist Dr. Yosef Golowa specializes in minimally invasive PVD treatments.

If you have this common condition, read on to learn how to reduce your symptoms.

What causes PVD 

More than anything, atherosclerosis – or plaque buildup within your artery walls – causes peripheral vascular disease. The plaque limits how much blood can flow to your limbs, keeping essential nutrients and oxygen from these parts.

Less common PVD causes include arm or leg injuries, irregular anatomy of your ligaments or muscles, and infections. Coronary artery disease (CAD), type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Smoking can also contribute.

Your risk for PVD increases with age, particularly after age 50 or menopause. In the United States, up to 30% of adults have this disease.

Common PVD symptoms

For about 50% of people, PVD causes no noticeable symptoms. When symptoms do arise, they often include:

• Aching or burning foot or leg pain
• Bluish-red lower extremities
• Painful leg cramping during exercise (intermittent claudication)
• Altered skin temperature or texture on your legs or feet
• Leg paleness once elevated
• Hair loss on your legs
• Erectile dysfunction
• Mobility problems
• Ankle or heel wounds that won’t heal
• Weak, heavy, or numb legs or feet

These symptoms tend to worsen over time. Severe cases can lead to gangrene: the death of body tissue that can lead to the need for amputation. Left untreated, with or without symptoms, PVD can result in heart attack or stroke.

How to reduce your PVD symptoms

Lifestyle changes and medical treatments can help reduce your PVD symptoms and slow down the condition’s progression. Eating a diet that emphasizes heart-healthy foods, like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, and legumes, for example, can improve your arterial health. Routine exercise, positive sleep habits, managing stress, and routine checkups can help, too.

Medical treatments for PVD include oral medication, aggressive treatment for an underlying disease, like diabetes, or vascular surgery. 

How balloon angioplasty helps

For advanced PVD that doesn’t respond fully to lifestyle changes and medication, Dr. Golowa may recommend balloon angioplasty. This minimally invasive procedure widens your leg arteries using a tiny balloon, inserted through a catheter. Once the balloon is in place, Dr. Golow inflates it to flatten plaque for enhanced blood flow.

You might need a stent during the procedure as well. This mesh tube keeps the affected artery open and may release medication to prevent plaque buildup. He can also remove excess plaque through a procedure called atherectomy. 

As your arteries improve, your symptoms should diminish, along with your risk of PVD complications. Research has linked balloon angioplasty with reduced artery narrowing, a decreased need for additional procedures, and a lower risk for amputation in people with PVD. 

To find out if you’re a candidate for minimally invasive PVD treatment, call our office today. You can also book an appointment with Dr. Golowa through our website.