PAD Symptoms: What You Need to Know About Peripheral Artery Disease

When your legs hurt when you walk but feel fine when you stop, it’s not just aging—it could be peripheral artery disease, a condition where plaque builds up in the arteries that supply blood to your limbs. Also known as PAD, this isn’t a minor inconvenience. It’s a warning sign that your heart and blood vessels are under stress, and it increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. Many people write off the discomfort as normal fatigue or arthritis, but true PAD pain is specific: it shows up during activity, fades with rest, and comes back when you move again. This pattern is called claudication, the classic symptom of reduced blood flow to the muscles.

It’s not just about leg pain. PAD can also mean your feet feel cold, your toenails grow slower, or your skin looks shiny or pale. Men might notice erectile dysfunction. Women often report cramping in the hips or thighs, not just the calves. If you’ve got diabetes, smoke, or are over 65, you’re at higher risk. And here’s the thing: arterial blockage, the root cause of PAD doesn’t just sit in your legs—it’s likely happening in your heart and brain too. That’s why doctors treat PAD like a red flag, not a standalone issue.

You won’t always feel it. Some people have no symptoms at all, which is why PAD flies under the radar. But when you do feel it, it’s not muscle soreness. It’s a deep, cramping ache that forces you to stop walking, sometimes after just a few steps. The more advanced it gets, the more it hurts—even when you’re sitting still. If your foot or toe starts to turn black, or you develop a sore that won’t heal, that’s an emergency. These aren’t just signs—they’re signals your body is starving for blood.

The posts below cover what really matters: how PAD connects to other conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, why some meds make it worse, how to tell if your leg pain is PAD or something else, and what steps you can take right now to slow it down. You’ll find real advice on medication timing, lifestyle changes that actually work, and when to push for testing—no fluff, no guesswork. This isn’t about fear. It’s about recognizing the pattern before it’s too late.