Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the legs and arms to supply food and oxygen to the extremities. As you age, artery walls will thicken and begin to lose their elasticity. Plaque may begin to build up along the artery walls, narrowing the artery and causing a decrease in blood supply to the extremity. This condition is called atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.  This can eventually cause so much narrowing that little or no flow is getting to the legs.

Sometimes, as these vessels get blockages that decrease the blood flow to the legs, they cause pain in the buttocks, thigh or calf muscles when walking; this is called claudication.  If you experience pain in these areas when walking, which goes away with rest and then begins again when you walk, you may have peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Risk Factors of PAD:
      High blood pressure
      High cholesterol   
      Family history
      Tobacco abuse
      Heart disease
      Diabetes

Your doctor can easily diagnose peripheral arterial disease (PAD) by simply palpating pulses or listening with an instrument called a Doppler.  This can be confirmed by having an ultrasound procedure recording pictures of your pulses and obtaining blood pressures in your arms and legs.  Your physician can then advise you about treatment options.

The same kind of studies can be done in the upper extremities as well to determine the presence of PAD in these vessels.