What are the symptoms of hardening of the arteries in the legs?

Symptoms

• Painful cramping in one or both of your hips, thighs or calf muscles after certain activities, such as walking or climbing stairs.
• Leg numbness or weakness.
• Coldness in your lower leg or foot, especially when compared with the other side.
• Sores on your toes, feet or legs that won’t heal.

Can blocked arteries cause leg weakness?

As plaque builds up, the blood vessels get narrower and narrower, until they become blocked. In the coronary arteries, atherosclerosis causes chest pain or a heart attack. In the legs, atherosclerosis can cause pain, weakness, or fatigue while walking.

How can you tell if you have poor circulation in your legs?

The first step is to see a doctor vascular surgery immediately if you have any of the risk factors or symptoms of poor circulation in legs. A simple, painless and noninvasive test called a duplex ultrasound can determine if you have bad circulation and the severity of the condition.

How do you check for blocked arteries in your legs?

Arterial Doppler Ultrasound A Doppler ultrasound uses sound waves to produce images that highlight blood flow in the leg arteries. This test detects and evaluates any blockages caused by plaque buildup.

Why do my legs ache all the time?

Most leg pain results from wear and tear, overuse, or injuries in joints or bones or in muscles, ligaments, tendons or other soft tissues. Some types of leg pain can be traced to problems in your lower spine. Leg pain can also be caused by blood clots, varicose veins or poor circulation.

What does blockage in leg feel like?

Claudication is a symptom of a narrowing or blockage of an artery. Typical symptoms of claudication include: Pain, a burning feeling, or a tired feeling in the legs and buttocks when you walk. Shiny, hairless, blotchy foot skin that may get sores.

What does it mean when your legs feel heavy?

The heavy feeling in legs typically is a result of poor circulation. Circulation issues are experienced more in the lower part of your body (primarily the legs) because this part of your body has to fight hard against gravity to get the blood all the way back up to your heart.

What is an arterial duplex scan?

Arterial duplex scan is a painless exam that uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to capture internal images of the major arteries in the arms, legs and neck. A special jelly is placed on the area being examined while a wand-like device called a transducer is passed lightly over the skin above the artery.

What is a lower limb arterial duplex ultrasound?

Lower Limb Arterial Duplex Ultrasound. Duplex ultrasound is used to assess the arteries of the leg for the presence of atherosclerosis (disease and narrowing of the arteries).

What do I need to prepare for an arterial duplex ultrasound?

Find directions and parking information for our Imaging locations. An arterial duplex ultrasound showing blood flow in the right femoral artery in the leg. There is no preparation for this procedure. If your doctor gave you an order, please bring it with you. We want to make your waiting time as pleasant as possible.

What is Ultrasound duplex scanning and why is it important?

Ultrasound duplex scanning can provide additional information that may guide therapeutic decisions. The location and severity of arterial narrowings and occlusions can be identified.