Is your leg under attack? Know from the specialist
Smart people think on their feet and act. And then we stand tall on our feet all day long, walk and run around to get our chores done. So your legs are not just your wheels in the journey of life, but almost have a heart of its own. And yet our legs are perhaps the most neglected body part.
Often workout and exercise help to keep our strained muscles relaxed, but sudden leg attack is not unheard of either.
Varicose vein and Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) are two diseases which can easily attack people whose daily lifestyle puts a lot of stress on their legs. It is essential to get your leg meticulously checked by expert doctors whenever you see any of these symptoms appearing.
Dr. Avik Bhattacharya, Consultant at CMRI Department of Intervention Radiology shares his expert insights on two major leg diseases which is often ignored in the initial stages.
Varicose veins are the veins with damage in the return pump valve. Varicose vein is a commonly occurring condition with up to 10-15 % of the women and men are affected with symptoms of pain and swelling of the lower limbs, enlarged blue veins on the thigh or calf and their accompanying problems like leg aching, eczema, lipodermatosclerosis, cellulitis or venous ulcer.Standing for a long period does not cause varicose veins per se, nevertheless hastens the deterioration of malfunctioning valves which aggravates the development of varicose veins.
Symptoms like aching, discomfort and heaviness in the legs, swollen ankle, brown spots on skin are common. Change in skin colour should be an initial indicator to visit a specialist immediately.Maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise, avoid prolong standing, wearing high heelsand take good nutritional supplements. Try elevating your legs when resting, and not crossing them when sitting may prevent theadvance of varicose veins.
Accurate diagnosis and proper treatment of varicose veins can ensure that most of them do not recur. Surgery for the varicose veins with any means has got a minimal standard recurrence rate.
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is often caused by atherosclerosis, where fat deposits (plaques) build up in the arteries and reduce blood flow. In this disease your legs don't receive enough blood flow to keep up with demand.
The risk of developing PAD includes smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, family history of vascular disease such as PAD, aneurysm, heart attack or stroke & obesity. If peripheral artery disease progresses, it is painful to walk even short distance and it may even occur when you are at rest or when you are lying down. It may be intense enough to disrupt sleep. Hanging your legs over the edge of your bed may temporarily relieve the pain. Severe PAD can lead to loss of limb. A specialist check for signs of the disease with a simple test of pulses in your feet.
One of the most effective preventive measures of PAD is regular physical activity.You must modify your lifestyle and follow thorough healthy routine in daily life. Eating a nutritious diet can control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. A diet low saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol ensures lower blood cholesterol levels, but cholesterol-lowering medication and anti-platelet medications to help prevent blood clots may also be necessary.
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