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PAD Specialist

Mission Surgical Clinic

General and Vascular Surgery located in Riverside, Corona, Redlands, Eastvale, San Bernadino, Barstow, Riverside, Murrieta CA

If you experience weakness, numbness, or pain in your arms or legs, peripheral artery disease (PAD) might be to blame. At Mission Surgical Clinic, the board-certified surgeons diagnose and treat PAD to relieve your symptoms and reduce your risk of serious complications. Call the office in Riverside, Corona, Redlands, Eastvale, Barstow or San Bernardino, California, to book an appointment or schedule one online today.

PAD Q&A

What is PAD?

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a circulatory condition in which narrow arteries reduce the blood flow to your arms and legs. When your limbs don’t receive enough blood to keep up with your body’s demands, you experience leg or arm pain and a higher risk of complications. Mission Surgical Clinic offers several PAD treatments.

What are the symptoms of PAD?

Common symptoms of PAD include:

  • Leg numbness
  • Weakness
  • Cramping in your hips or legs
  • Leg or foot coldness
  • Sores on your legs, feet, or toes
  • Leg discoloration
  • Slow hair growth on your legs or feet
  • Shiny skin on your legs
  • Weak pulse in your feet or legs
  • Pain in your arms
  • Erectile dysfunction in men

Complications of untreated PAD include stroke, heart attack, and tissue death requiring amputation.

What are the risk factors for PAD?

While anyone can develop PAD, some things increase your risk of developing it. These include:

  • Smoking
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • High cholesterol
  • High blood pressure
  • Family history of PAD
  • Older age

Having high homocysteine levels is another PAD risk factor. Homocysteine is an amino acid that results when your body breaks down protein.

Because of reduced blood flow in people with diabetes who smoke, they have the greatest risk of developing PAD.

How does my doctor diagnose PAD?

To find out if you have PAD and develop an effective treatment plan, the Mission Surgical Clinic team discusses your symptoms and medical history. They take your pulse, measure your blood pressure, check your other vital signs, and complete a physical exam to assess your limb and vein health.

Your provider could order blood tests, ultrasound, angiography, and other diagnostic procedures to make a final diagnosis.

How is PAD treated?

Common treatments for PAD include:

Lifestyle changes

Eat nutritious foods, get regular exercise, maintain a healthy weight, and don’t smoke to reduce your risk of PAD complications.

Medications

Taking prescribed medicines can reduce PAD symptoms, prevent blood clots, and help you better manage chronic diseases that can make PAD worse.

Surgery

Surgery can reduce unpleasant symptoms, lower your risk of complications, and save your arms and legs. Mission Surgical Clinic offers angioplasty to repair blocked veins, bypass surgery, and stenting to treat PAD. They also offer clot-dissolving injections.

At the first sign of PAD, especially if you have PAD risk factors, see the Mission Surgical Clinic team for an evaluation. Call the office today or book an appointment online.