Everyone experiences aches and pains in their leg from time to time. Causes range from short-term cramps to chronic arthritis or from a recently pulled muscle to long-developing nerve damage.
In many cases, the root of the problem is in your leg itself. But your body’s systems are highly interconnected. Pain in your leg can be a sign of a wider health issue.
If you’re at high risk of developing heart disease, your leg pain could be due to peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD shares many causes and risk factors with coronary artery disease (CAD) and can be an early sign.
本文将回顾您的心脏健康和腿部疼痛之间的联系。继续阅读以了解如何确定您的腿部疼痛是否可能是更严重的心脏问题的迹象。
Your body’s循环系统sends blood to the most important areas in high amounts. This includes the brain, heart, and kidneys. Your body has to work against gravity to get blood from your legs and feet back to your heart. This means your legs and feet are vulnerable to affected blood flow.
这里有一些心脏病的方法可以标出se leg pain:
- 充血性心力衰竭: If your heart doesn’t pump as well, you can experience significant leg swelling due to poor blood flow.
- Venous thromboembolism (VTE): Also known as a blood clot in your leg, VTE
can be a sign of heart disease 。 - PAD: If your blood vessels narrow or experience plaque buildup, blood doesn’t flow through as well. Your tissues are deprived of oxygen, causing pain.
Of these three conditions, PAD is most common and
腿部疼痛是心脏病发作的症状吗？
Leg pain isn’t a symptom of a heart attack, but it can be a sign of heart disease. You may be experiencing the effects of PAD. In a 2019 study, about
PAD is a condition that causes the arteries in your arms and legs to narrow, affecting blood flow. PAD
卡德, the most common form of heart disease, and PAD have the same cause:atherosclerosis。That’s when your arteries narrow due to plaque buildup. As a result, PAD can
To be clear, not everyone with PAD has severe CAD. But PAD is a risk factor and can be a sign for you and a doctor to review your heart health. According to a 2019 review, about
- 糖尿病
- 抽烟
- 肥胖
- hypertension
- being age 50 or older
- a family history of heart disease or stroke
According to a
Ideally, pain shouldn’t be an everyday experience. You can usually link pain back to an activity or injury. Examples include challenging your muscles in the gym or experiencing a fall and hurting your leg.
当您的腿部疼痛成为规则而不是例外时，就该引起关注了。您应该最担心疼痛是否随着任何体育锻炼（例如步行）而恶化。这是因为您的身体向您发出信号，血液流向您的腿有问题。
You should be especially worried if you experience pain in your legs and chest. This signals a potential lack of blood flow to the heart and could even mean you’re at increased risk of heart attack.
Signs of a heart attack
A heart attack can causesymptomsbeyond chest pain or chest discomfort. Examples of these heart attack signs include:
- dizziness
- 下巴疼痛或不适
- nausea
- pain in the arm, back, neck, or shoulder
- 呼吸急促
- unexplained fatigue
Womenare more likely to have unusual symptoms, such as nausea and unexplained tiredness.
If you notice these signs or symptoms, call 911 or local emergency services. Don’t attempt to drive to the hospital.
PAD can cause the following symptoms:
- aching legs
- fatigue
- leg cramping
- leg pain
These symptoms usuallyworsen with physical activity, such as climbing stairs. When resting, the pain will usually resolve.
The condition can also cause physical changes to your body, especially your legs. These symptoms include:
- difficulty feeling pulses on the feet and lower legs
- muscle weakness or muscle loss
- nonhealing ulcers on the feet or legs
- skin that feels cool to the touch
- 小腿光滑，光滑的皮肤
- toes that are cold to the touch or may feel numb
PAD症状是lau不平的结果，或者是血液流量减少。缺乏血液会影响愈合，并可能导致双腿触摸感到凉爽。
Healthcare professionals治疗垫through several different approaches:
- Reducing your risk of blood clots.If you smoke, a doctor will ask you to stop.Smoking increases your riskof blood clots. A doctor also may prescribe medications to reduce your risk of blood clots, such as aspirin or antiplatelet medications likeclopidogrel(Plavix) or华法林（Jantoven）。
- Reducing your cholesterol.高胆固醇leads to deposits in the blood vessels that further narrow them. Taking medications, such as他汀类药物，以降低胆固醇可以降低您患垫恶化的风险。吃健康的饮食也可以帮助您。
- Surgery.If you experience significant changes to your arteries, you may need surgery to “bypass” the blockages. This surgical approach is like rerouting traffic to a clear lane. However, doctors only use this approach for those with severe PAD.
These treatments can not only reduce your pain with physical activity but also reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Adopting the following habits can help reduce your risk of PAD:
- Engage inregular physical activity, such as walking or riding a bicycle for at least 30 minutes a day.
- Refrain from using tobacco products。烟草大大增加了您的垫子风险。
- Check your blood pressure regularly. If it’s high, talk with a doctor aboutmedicationsto help get it under control.
- Eat a均衡饮食that’s low in cholesterol. Stay away from high-fat foods and eat lean meats.
Pain in your leg doesn’t automatically mean that there’s a problem with your heart. Still, it’s best not to ignore your leg pain.
If your leg pain persists (and especially gets worse with physical activity), talk with a doctor about potential causes. A doctor can执行测试to determine whether affected blood flow could be the underlying cause.
PAD can be an early sign of a potentially fatal heart attack or stroke. Getting an early diagnosis from a doctor and making key lifestyle changes might help prevent more serious complications.