How do you treat calcified arteries in the leg?

If you have symptoms that make it hard for you to walk, you might choose to have a procedure called angioplasty or bypass surgery. These treatments open narrowed arteries or reroute blood flow around them. Angioplasty or surgery might also be done if blood flow to your leg is severely limited.

What are the symptoms of blocked arteries in legs?

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 causes calcification of leg arteries?

Calcium deposits occur due to the buildup of fatty plaque because of high levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and other factors in the blood. This condition is also known as atherosclerosis, which is a precursor to getting PAD.

How serious is a blocked artery in the leg?

The arteries in your legs and feet can get blocked, just like the arteries in your heart. When this happens, less blood flows to your legs. This is called peripheral artery disease (PAD). If your leg arteries are badly blocked, you may develop foot pain while resting or a sore that won’t heal.

What does calcification in the leg mean?

Another name for this condition is atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. The plaque deposits (also called calcifications) can cause your arteries to stiffen (calcify) and become narrowed or blocked, limiting the supply of oxygen-rich blood throughout your body.

What is the life expectancy of peripheral artery disease?

The crude five-year death rate among patients diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease was 33.2%. When adjusted for duration of follow-up, the rate is 82.4 deaths per 1,000 patient years.

What can I do about a blocked artery in my leg?

Angioplasty is a procedure to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels that supply blood to your legs. Fatty deposits can build up inside the arteries and block blood flow. A stent is a small, metal mesh tube that keeps the artery open. Angioplasty and stent placement are two ways to open blocked peripheral arteries.

How are stents used to open blocked arteries?

Angioplasty and stent placement are two ways to open blocked peripheral arteries. Angioplasty uses a medical “balloon” to widen blocked arteries. The balloon presses against the inside wall of the artery to open the space and improve blood flow. A metal stent is often placed across the artery wall to keep the artery from narrowing again.

Where are the arteries located in the leg?

The following arteries branch off from the popliteal artery : Anterior tibial artery which supplies the front (anterior aspect) of the leg. Posterior tibial artery which supplies the back (posterior aspect) of the leg.

Are there any veins that run the same course as arteries?

With an opposite function to arteries, veins return oxygen-depleted blood to the heart, where it will begin its journey all over again. Often, veins run the same course as arteries. Important veins of the leg include the internal and external iliac veins, femoral vein, saphenous vein, popliteal vein, tibial vein, and the venous arch of the foot.