For patients with mild claudication non-operative treatment is often the best option. Although the blockage in the arteries will not “go away on its own” there are things you can do to improve your symptoms and ability to walk farther and with less pain.

Most importantly, if you are a smoker, is to STOP SMOKING. Smoking causes pain in claudication in several ways: it speeds up the buildup of plaque in your arteries, it causes the arteries you have to spasm, and it hampers the delivery of oxygen to your working muscles.

The second strategy for mild claudication is scheduled walking. Constant walking encourages more blood to flow through you arteries to your working muscles. It also allows your muscles to work more efficiently with the limited blood flow it does get. The best scheduled walking regimen includes daily walking, at least 30 minutes, where you walk continuously, stopping for short rests when pain occurs, but starting again as soon as the pain goes away. Walking should be logged (on paper or in a book) so that your progress can be recorded. If this type of walking can be done consistently, over time your distance that you walk before you feel pain will increase. This may not return you to completely normal walking, but many patients find that their quality of life can improve dramatically just by being able to go farther with less pain.

Finally, control of your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are important with any vascular and cardiovascular disease. There are some medications that can help control your PAD such as aspirin, and some that may even help improve your walking. These can be discussed with your vascular surgeon.