Leg Pain

What might cause leg pain?

Several vascular conditions may be responsible for your leg pain. Some of the most common include:

Varicose veins

Varicose veins are veins that swell with pooled blood, forming unsightly twisting patterns on your legs. The blood collects like this when the valves along your veins stop working properly. These valves regulate the one-way flow of blood, but blood can trickle back down the vein if they weaken.

Peripheral artery disease

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) causes a reduced blood flow in the arteries that supply your legs and feet with freshly-oxygenated blood. PAD is typically the result of atherosclerosis, where fatty deposits called plaque build up in your arteries. One of the chief symptoms of PAD is claudication – pain in your legs when you walk.

Deep vein thrombosis

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) might cause acute leg pain when a blood clot forms in the deep veins. It's often a result of poor circulation after a long journey, surgery, or other extended periods of inactivity.

A DVT can permanently damage your veins, but a more immediate worry is that a clot could move and find its way to your lung, causing a pulmonary embolism.

How is leg pain diagnosed?

To diagnose the cause of your leg pain, your provider at Cardiology Specialists of Orange County conducts a review of your personal and family medical history and examines your legs.  

They can evaluate how well blood flows through your veins and arteries using imaging tests such as an ultrasound or angiogram. These tests show up any blockages and provide valuable information about the health of your blood vessels.

What treatments might I need for leg pain?

The Cardiology Specialists of Orange County team offers the most advanced treatments for leg pain, including:

Venous ablation

Radiofrequency ablation and mechanochemical endovenous ablation (MOCA) close off varicose veins, so blood flows down other, healthier veins. Cardiology Specialists of Orange County also uses ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy to treat problem veins.

Peripheral artery interventions

If you have PAD, you might need an angioplasty to open up the artery and improve blood flow. This is a minimally invasive procedure in which your provider passes a catheter into the artery.

When the catheter is in position, they inflate a tiny balloon that flattens the plaque against your artery walls. Your provider might also fit a stent – a metal mesh tube – into the artery to keep it open.

An alternative to balloon angioplasty is atherectomy, where your provider inserts a tool that scrapes plaque away from your artery walls.

Find the treatment that's right for your leg pain by calling Cardiology Specialists of Orange County or booking an appointment online today.