Arm Claudication: Understanding Pain and Treatment Options

Patients with peripheral arterial disease may develop arm pain and claudication, a type of pain that often targets the lower areas of the body. Doctors may recommend treatments that reverse peripheral arterial disease and reduce claudication and arm pain.

Peripheral Arterial Disease

• According to the University of Illinois Medical Center, peripheral arterial disease, also known as PAD, is a condition that reduces the flow of blood to a person's legs and arms, can narrow blood vessels and is caused by a hardening of the arteries from plaque buildup called atherosclerosis.

Claudication

• Patients with PAD may develop claudication, a pain in the legs, calves and buttocks during exercise that results from an insufficient supply of oxygen-rich blood through narrowed arteries. Claudication may also occur in the arms and often goes away when a patient rests.

Other Symptoms

• Individuals with PAD may experience cold feet, loss of hair on the arms and legs and pale, blue or red skin on an affected limb.

Atherosclerosis Causes

• Atherosclerosis, or damage to the inner walls of blood vessels in a leg or arm, can result from high blood pressure, high cholesterol or smoking and causes PAD, arm pain and claudication. Diabetics may also develop atherosclerosis.

Treatment

• Doctors may recommend increasing daily exercise such as walking to relieve claudication and PAD. Physicians may prescribe medications to thin the blood or perform a surgical procedure to improve blood flow in severely narrowed arteries.