Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Intermittent claudication is a symptom and is by definition diagnosed by a patient reporting a history of leg pain with walking relieved by rest. However, as other conditions such as sciatica can mimic intermittent claudication, testing is often performed to confirm the diagnosis of peripheral artery disease .
Neurogenic claudication (NC), also known as pseudoclaudication, is the most common symptom of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and describes intermittent leg pain from impingement of the nerves emanating from the spinal cord. [1] [2] Neurogenic means that the problem originates within the nervous system.
Intermittent vascular (or arterial) claudication (Latin: claudicatio intermittens) most often refers to cramping pains in the buttock or leg muscles, especially the calves. It is caused by poor circulation of the blood to the affected area, called peripheral arterial disease .
Symptoms may also include intermittent claudication or pain at rest. In late stages, paresthesia is replaced by anesthesia (numbness) due to death of nerve cells. [11] In severe cases, gangrene can occur suddenly and spread rapidly, [12] and should be treated within six hours of ischaemia. [13]
Exercise testing is a simplistic, non-invasive method of diagnosing intermittent claudication. Blood pressure measurements at the suspected area can be taken before and after exercise, as some symptoms only appear during strenuous activity. [3] Commonly, a treadmill setting at 2 mph with a 12-degree slope is utilized.
Of patients with intermittent claudication, only "7% will undergo lower-extremity bypass surgery, 4% major amputations, and 16% worsening claudication", but stroke and heart attack events are elevated, and the "5-year mortality rate is estimated to be 30% (versus 10% in controls)". [84]
Critical limb ischemia is diagnosed by the presence of ischemic rest pain, and an ulcers that will not heal or gangrene due to insufficient blood flow. [3] Insufficient blood flow may be confirmed by ankle-brachial index (ABI), ankle pressure, toe-brachial index (TBI), toe systolic pressure, transcutaneous oxygen measurement (TcpO2 ), or skin perfusion pressure (SPP).
This results in claudication and chronic leg ischemia. This condition mainly occurs more in young athletes than in the elderlies. [2] Elderlies, who present with similar symptoms, are more likely to be diagnosed with peripheral artery disease with associated atherosclerosis. [2]