Claudication Treatment Options

In the United States, about nine million people experience claudication on occasion. Depending on the blockage, one or both legs may be affected. For some, this condition is just a mere annoyance, but for others it is quite disabling. This condition is caused by peripheral artery disease. There are treatments for claudication available to help reduce your symptoms and prevent this disease from worsening.

Treating Claudication with Lifestyle Changes

Your doctor may first recommend a variety of lifestyle changes. This often includes getting to and maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, changing your exercise routine, resting when necessary, not smoking and eliminating other modifiable rest factors. Your doctor may also recommend that you walk for 30 minutes each day and significantly cut down your intake of saturated fats.

Medications for Claudication

If lifestyle changes fail to help you, your doctor may recommend medications. Some patients may benefit from aspirin therapy to help reduce artery narrowing. Aspirin may also reduce your stroke and heart attack risk.

Certain medications may help to prevent blood clotting. These include dipyridamole, clopidogrel and ticlopidine.

Your symptoms may be reduced and blood flow improved by a medication known as cilostazol.

Your doctor may also prescribe a cholesterol-lowering drugs if you are proven to have high cholesterol.

Medications to lower your blood pressure and blood sugar may also be prescribed.

Angioplasty for Claudication

When medications fail to be effective and in more serious cases, angioplasty may be necessary. This is a procedure that uses a narrow tube to widen damaged arteries. The balloon on the tip can be inflated to improve circulation. To keep the artery opened, a stent is often placed at the same time as this procedure.

Vascular Surgery for Claudication

This is a surgical procedure that can be done. It will help to allow blood to flow around an artery that is narrowed or blocked. This surgery involves taking a healthy blood vessel from elsewhere in the body. This healthy vessel is then used to replace the vessel that is responsible for your claudication.

Using a Hyperbaric Chamber for Claudication

If you have severe claudication and because of it have ulcers on your legs, your doctor may suggest being treated with a hyperbaric chamber. This may help to heal your ulcers. These chambers are environments rich in oxygen. This promotes cell growth and helps sores and cuts to heal.

Resources

UC Davis Health System: Claudication