Peripheral Arterial Disease Specialist
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Carolinas Vein & Vascular Solutions
Martin Carignan, MD
Vascular and Endovascular Surgery & General Surgery located in Huntersville, NC & Mooresville, NC
The hallmark sign of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is leg pain that occurs when you walk and improves when you rest. When symptoms begin, don’t wait to schedule an appointment with Martin Carignan, MD, at Carolinas Vein & Vascular Solutions. As a specialist in vascular care, Dr. Carignan has extensive experience diagnosing and treating peripheral artery disease, restoring normal circulation, so you don’t need to worry about complications. To request an appointment, call the office in Huntersville, North Carolina, or use online booking today.
Peripheral Arterial Disease Q & A
What causes peripheral arterial disease?
Peripheral arterial disease or PAD is caused by atherosclerosis, a condition that begins when cholesterol builds up in the artery wall. Over time, the cholesterol plaque keeps accumulating more fats. As the plaque enlarges and hardens, it progressively blocks more of the blood flowing through the artery.
You can develop PAD in any of the arteries that carry oxygen-rich blood throughout your body, including your arms and kidneys. However, it most commonly affects the legs.
What symptoms appear if I have PAD?
Most people won’t have symptoms until the plaque blocks about 60% of the artery. When peripheral arterial disease symptoms appear, you may experience:
- Leg pain when walking that feels better with rest
- Leg fatigue or weakness
- One foot colder than the other
- Poor hair growth on one leg
- Shiny skin on the affected leg
- Non-healing ulcers on the lower leg
As PAD progresses into advanced disease, it blocks so much blood that the tissues the artery serves don’t get enough oxygen. At first, the loss of blood causes non-healing ulcers. In the most severe stage, tissues die, and gangrene develops.
How is peripheral arterial disease treated?
Your provider at Carolinas Vein & Vascular Solutions diagnoses peripheral arterial disease and determines the severity of the blockage with diagnostic ultrasound and an ABI test, which compares the blood pressure in your arms and legs. Then they develop a customized treatment plan that incorporates one or more of the following:
Lifestyle changes
Your treatment begins with lifestyle changes such as following a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, losing weight, and stopping smoking. These changes improve the health of your arteries, as well as your general health, by lowering cholesterol levels, reducing hypertension, and keeping diabetes under control.
Prescription medications
You may need to take prescription medicine to treat high cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes if lifestyle changes don’t do the job. Your provider may also prescribe medications that target PAD.
Wound care
If you develop arterial ulcers, Carolinas Vein & Vascular Solutions offers intensive wound care to promote healing and prevent the skin from breaking down.
Minimally invasive surgery
When PAD causes a significant blockage, your provider at Carolinas Vein & Vascular Solutions performs minimally invasive surgery such as angioplasty, stenting, or atherectomy.
During these procedures, your provider guides a catheter through your blood vessels to the blocked artery. Then they use specialized tools inserted through the catheter to eliminate the blockage and restore circulation.
If you need help with leg pain or ongoing management of peripheral arterial disease, call Carolinas Vein & Vascular Solutions, or schedule an appointment online today.
