Calf Muscle Pain & Heart Disease

Individuals with calf muscle pain may be suffering from intermittent claudication, a sign of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), one of several forms of heart disease.

Identification

• Intermittent claudication is the medical term for pain that develops as PAD clogs arteries and restricts blood flow to extremities, including the legs.

Significance

• Simple discomfort or debilitating pain may occur. “The location of the pain depends on the location of the clogged or narrowed artery,” according to The Mayo Clinic. “Calf pain is most common.”

Features

• Pain may also emanate from the hips, thighs or buttocks and commonly springs from periods of activity as simple as walking or climbing stairs.

Effects

• Sufficient blood reaches the calf during rest, rendering pain signals from the body unnecessary. But, that changes with exertion. “Claudication occurs because not enough blood is flowing to a muscle you are actively using,” says The American Academy of Family Physicians. “However, when you walk, the working muscle needs more blood.”

Warning

• Calf muscle pain and heart disease may be related and should not be discounted as simple aging. Blockage of arteries in the legs or other peripheral extremities may result in heart attack or stroke.