Wound Care centers raise awareness of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

9/28/2021

September is Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Awareness Month, and staff at Northwest Health are raising awareness of PAD and early detection with one simple tool: a white sock.

The white sock symbolizes the many patients with late-stage PAD who received an amputation because of delayed treatment. Health care professionals have pledged to closely partner with other clinicians involved in the PAD care pathway to help ensure high-risk patients are properly diagnosed and treated before it is too late.

PAD is largely under-recognized, and amputation rates associated with this disease remain unnecessarily high. That’s why Northwest Health is proud to join other clinicians on the frontlines of care to advocate for accurate diagnosis and timely treatment of patients suffering from the side effects of PAD. We also encourage everyone to be proactive in their own leg health by knowing the risk factors, classic warning signs and to ask their doctor to check their feet for signs of PAD.

According to the American Heart Association, signs and symptoms of PAD include:

• Painful muscle cramping in the hips, thighs or calves when walking, climbing stairs or exercising
• Leg pain that doesn’t go away when you stop exercising
• Foot or toe wounds that won't heal or heal very slowly
• Gangrene, or dead tissue
• A marked decrease in the temperature of your lower leg or foot compared to the other leg or the rest of your body
• Poor nail growth on the toes or hair growth on the legs
• Erectile dysfunction, especially in men with diabetes

Throughout September, the wound healing staff at Northwest Medical Center – Bentonville and Northwest Medical Center – Springdale are spreading the message of early PAD detection with one simple and visible tool: a white sock. The garment is worn as a symbol of PAD and to create solidarity with the many patients who suffered from late-stage PAD and required an amputation because of delayed treatment.

Affecting more than 12 million Americans, PAD is a common, yet serious cardiovascular condition that occurs when arteries in the legs become narrowed or blocked by plaque build-up, reducing blood flow to the limbs.

Left untreated, PAD can result in devastating consequences including amputation and early death. Patients with PAD are also at a greater risk of future heart attack and stroke. Despite its prevalence, PAD is historically difficult to diagnose and treat as symptoms are often ignored, masked or confused with the typical aches and pains of aging.

As a result, nearly 50 percent of patients with late-stage PAD are left untreated each year, placing them at a greater risk for an amputation.

If you’re concerned about your cardiovascular health, our physicians are here for you and close to home. Visit NW-Physicians.com/cardiology to find a cardiologist near you.

Northwest Medical Center – Bentonville Wound and Hyperbaric Center is located at 2900 Medical Center Parkway, Suite 140 and the Northwest Medical Center – Springdale center is located at 706A Quandt Ave. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the Bentonville center at (479) 553-3100 or the Springdale center at (479) 757-2030. No referral is required.

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