Tag: Pain while walking

ARE YOU AT RISK FOR PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL DISEASE (PAD)?

Posted on by Angelica Rodezno

WHAT IS PAD?

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is a common and often underdiagnosed circulatory disease where blood flow to the legs and feet is restricted by the narrowing of blood vessels due to plaque buildup.

ARE YOU AT RISK FOR PAD?

  • Smoking is the most powerful predictor of PAD: Are you a current or former smoker?
  • 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 40 have PAD
  • Do you or your loved one have diabetes?
  • Struggle with high blood pressure or cholesterol?
  • Suffer from kidney disease?
  • Risk for amputation is 10 times greater in patients with both PAD and diabetes vs PAD alone

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT PAD CAN BE TREATED!

With an early diagnosis, you may have more treatment options and may have a better chance to reduce or eliminate your symptoms. Left untreated, however, PAD can lead to amputation and put you or your loved one’s quality of life and long-term health at serious risk.

Dr. Polly G Kokinos, a board certified Vascular and General Surgeon in Campbell, CA. is recognized as one of the regions foremost authorities in the diagnosis and treatment of PAD. With offices in both Campbell and Gilroy, CA. Dr. Kokinos has dedicated her 24 year career to serving the South County community as a Vascular Surgeon and is a pioneer in the evaluation and treatment of patients suffering from Peripheral Arterial Disease.

Unlike other Vascular Surgeons in the region who do their work at a local hospital or in shared facilities, Dr. Kokinos’ does her surgeries in a private, nationally accredited Vascular Surgery Center of Excellence. She focuses entirely on treating patients suffering from complex vascular disorders and unlike a traditional hospital she has the most advanced imaging and device technology available anywhere in the world. Most importantly, unlike a Univeristy or community hospitals, Dr. Kokinos’ patients experience the individualized care of “One Patient, One Doctor and One Nurse” rather than the cold, informal “production” environment of a typical hospital.

If you or anyone you love suffers from any of the conditions listed above, please call our office at 408-376-3626 to schedule an appointment. Most insurances are accepted and our staff typically can schedule an appointment within a few days for an initial consulation and non-invasive vascular ultrasound study. All ultrasound testing is done in our on-site Vascular Ultrasound Lab, The Institute for Vascular Testing making it significantly easier for our patients to be fully evaluated in a single visit and in a single facility.

South Bay Vascular Center and Vein Institute: We Offer Hope When Others Say There Is None

WHEN HIP PAIN MAY BE MORE THAN JUST ARTHRITIS

Posted on by Angelica Rodezno

Do your legs hurt when you walk? Can you only walk a block or two before you start experiencing cramping in your hip or buttock? Often times, patients are told this is just a normal part of getting older and probably due to arthritis. But sometimes it isn’t. If your pain only happens when you walk a certain distance and stops when you stop walking, it may be a circulation issue known as claudication. Claudication is a vascular condition that occurs when your leg muscles do not get enough blood flow while they are being used. This is generally caused by a build-up of plaque in the arteries–known as atherosclerosis–in your abdomen or legs. This build-up of plaque on the inside of the arteries, which carry oxygen and nutrients to your organs and muscles, restricts how much blood and therefore oxygen can get to the muscles. When you walk, you use energy, and your muscle requires more oxygen and nutrients to work. If the muscle does not get this needed oxygen, it begins to cramp up. This causes pain, and ultimately causes you to stop walking. Those at risk for this happening are people over the age of 60, those who smoke or were smokers in the past, those with high cholesterol or high blood pressure, and those who have heart disease or have had an ischemic stroke.

This problem can occur in one or multiple arteries from your belly button to your knee. It can be easily diagnosed on exam by simply feeling pulses in the patient’s groin, behind their knees, and at their ankles to check for blood flow. We can also listen for an abnormal sound called a “bruit” in the abdomen or the groin with a stethoscope. Where the pain is in your leg gives a clue as to where the problem is in your arteries. If there is a problem in the arteries in your abdomen or pelvis (the aorta and iliac arteries), it will cause buttock or hip pain with walking. This is often confused as hip arthritis or bursitis by medical doctors and patients. At SBVC, we have seen many patients who have had multiple injections into their backs or hip joints with no relief. On exam, we find they do not have pulses in their groin. An ultrasound done by specialized vascular technologists checking blood flow in the arteries will confirm this exam finding and can help plan treatment. Most treatments today are directed at opening the blood vessels up with surgery or a stent procedure. These are very safe and can immediately provide relief from pain and allow the patient to walk much longer distances than before. If you believe you are suffering from claudication, please talk to your doctor about your options. You may benefit from seeing a vascular surgeon for ultrasound and possible treatment.