Key Symptoms Of Peripheral Vascular Disease

Calf Muscle Weakness And Atrophy

An individual who experiences calf muscle weakness and atrophy may be affected by peripheral vascular disease. Calf muscle weakness and atrophy are terms used to describe when an individual is not able to produce a contraction of the calf muscle with the greatest effort put forth to do so. This symptom develops when the veins do not work or the arteries that carry blood to and from the tissues of the calf muscle become too narrow for a sufficient amount of blood to flow through them. When muscle tissues do not receive an adequate amount of oxygen and other nutrients in the blood, the cells are unable to perform their functions. This lack of blood flow can be the result of the narrowing of the artery carrying blood to the muscle tissues themselves, or it can be due to a backup of poorly oxygenated blood in the veins that carry blood away from the calf muscle that is not allowing the perfusion of oxygenated blood to the muscle.

Keep reading to learn more about the warning signs of peripheral vascular disease now.