Peripheral Artery Disease and Exercising
What is Peripheral Artery Disease?
Peripheral Artery Disease is a common disease that affects the circulatory system of the human body. The main side-effect of this disease is a reduction in the flow of blood to the limbs of the affected individual. If you normally lead a very sedentary lifestyle and do not move around much, sudden workout suggestions from your doctor or friends/family members may help put you in the right direction.
If you are relatively healthy and haven’t put on excess weight, it would still be okay for you to walk or jog normally. There are people though who will feel pain and cramping in their legs even if they are just doing warm-up sessions. While these can be attributed to just being tired, they are also symptoms of Peripheral Artery Disease.
Generally known as Peripheral Artery Disease, it is caused by blockages in the blood vessels that circulate blood in the legs and feet. These blockages are made up of cholesterol and other fatty substances. These blockages prevent the required supply of blood and oxygen to the muscles in the legs and feet which causes the pain and cramping. In this scenario, when walking even an inch forward might seem the most arduous task. Exercise is definitely the best thing for you.
Correlation between PAD and Exercising
Patients of PAD might think that it would be foolish to continue working out when even the slightest physical activity involving legs and feet lands them in a world of hurt. Contrary to that, it is actually a good idea to keep exercising and continuing an active lifestyle. Regular workouts in the morning or evening involving jogging, running, or walking would stimulate the formation of new blood vessels that can work better and cover for the defective blood vessels.
It’s not that walking, and jogging are the only exercises that you can be doing to reduce your problems relating to PAD, but any other exercise will also be effective. A study carried out in 2012 co-authored by Dr. Mohler in the journal named “Circulation”, it was reported that people suffering from PAD who followed a six-month treadmill program were better able to walk a greater distance than another group of people suffering from PAD who had chosen to undergo surgery to help restore blood flow to their legs. A control group that neither did any workouts nor opted for surgery were in a worse condition.
If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call our office: (909) 881-7400