The most effective treatment for PAD is regular physical activity. Your doctor may recommend a program of supervised exercise training for you. You may have to begin slowly, but simple walking regimens, leg exercises and treadmill exercise programs three times a week can result in decreased symptoms in just four to eight weeks. Exercise for intermittent claudication takes into account the fact that walking causes pain. The program consists of alternating activity and rest in intervals to build up the amount of time you can walk before the pain sets in. It's best if this exercise program is undertaken in a rehabilitation center on a treadmill and monitored. If it isn’t possible to go to a rehabilitation center, ask your healthcare professional to help you plan a program that's best suited to your situation.

Learn more about cardiac rehabilitation
Start! Walking for a Healthier Lifestyle

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Diet

Many PAD patients have elevated cholesterol levels. A diet low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol can help lower blood cholesterol levels, but medication may be necessary to maintain the proper cholesterol levels.

Get heart-healthy eating tips from our Cholesterol Web site
Learn more about diet and nutrition
Face The Fats

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Smoking Cessation

Tobacco smoke greatly increases your risk for PAD and your risk for heart attack and stroke. Smokers may have four times the risk of developing PAD than nonsmokers. Stop smoking. It will help to slow the progression of PAD and other heart-related diseases.

Learn how you can quit smoking

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Medication

• You may be prescribed high blood pressure and/or cholesterol-lowering medications. It's important to make sure that you take the medication as recommended by your healthcare professional. Not following directions increases your risk for PAD, as well as heart attack and stroke.
• Medications that your doctor may prescribe to help improve the distance you can walk include cilostazol and pentoxifylline.
• In addition, you may be prescribed antiplatelet medications (aspirin and clopidogrel) to help prevent blood clots.

Learn more about managing your medicines  

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Procedures

For a minority of patients the above recommendations and treatments aren't enough, and minimally invasive treatment or surgery may be needed. Minimally invasive procedures consist of angioplasty or stent placement (as is done in the heart for CAD) or clot-removal treatment. They are nonsurgical and are performed by making a small incision through which a catheter is inserted to reach the blocked artery. A tiny balloon is inflated inside the artery to open the clog.  A stent — a tiny wire mesh cylinder — may also be implanted at this time to help hold the artery open. Sometimes a medicine can be given through the catheter or a special device can be inserted through it to remove a clot that's blocking the artery.

View an illustration of peripheral angioplasty

If there's a long portion of artery in your leg that's completely blocked and you're having severe symptoms, surgery may be necessary. A vein from another part of the body can be used to “bypass” and reroute blood around the closed artery. Your healthcare professional will discuss your options and help choose the best procedure for your situation.

View an illustration of a peripheral bypass

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This content is reviewed regularly. Last updated 04/10/09.