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“Dr.
Larson is a very professional man and his staff provide wonderful, wonderful
service. He made me feel at ease before the surgery and really took care of
me afterwards too. If ever (God forbid) I need anymore surgery, I wouldn’t
let anyone else touch me!”
—Hazel
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Leg pain can be caused from either inadequate blood flow to
the muscles
of the leg or from pressure on the nerves supplying the leg. Pain
originating in the nerves is usually orthopedic in origin, arising from a narrowed spine
where the nerves exit. Inadequate blood flow, also called arterial
insufficiency or peripheral vascular disease, is usually from narrowed or blocked arteries caused
by cholesterol deposits.
Symptoms of vascular disease in the leg often start with cramping
in the leg brought on with walking or other exercise. The pain
gradually worsens until the person can’t perform their usual
activities. Vascular disease can show up as a sore or infection
that doesn't heal (or takes a very long time to heal). Rest pain, the presence of pain
in the leg without exercise, can also be a serious symptom of vascular
disease
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| The pain from vascular disease can sometimes be
lessened by long term
exercise, medication, and decreasing the risk factors (see
below). A regular exercise routine over time will improve the blood
flow to your legs, similar to the way athletes develop endurance in
their muscles. When the pain is severe or if there is already loss of
tissue, the
blood flow needs to be restored more quickly. This is done with
either balloon angioplasty or with surgery. In either case, an angiogram
is obtained by the radiologist to
see exactly where the blockage occurs. If there is a simple narrowing
in an artery, an angioplasty can often be performed; if
there is a complete blockage or more complex findings, a bypass
may need to be done. Bypasses in the leg are performed with
either an extra vein in the leg (the saphenous vein), or a piece of Gore-Tex graft.
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Non-operative treatment with walking, medication, and
risk
factor reduction can keep vascular leg pain from worsening, but many patients don’t have outright improvement in
their pain. Angioplasty or surgery often results in improvement or
total relief of the pain. Improvement in the blood supply also
usually heals the foot sores or infection, unless gangrene is already present.
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The risk factors for vascular disease include smoking,
high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Eliminating or reducing
these risk factors can decrease the chance of vascular leg
pain. Regular exercise helps to maintain and improve the blood
supply to the muscles of the leg.
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