Peripheral vascular disease

Peripheral vascular disease or PVD is a name given to a group of problems that causes poor circulation to the feet and legs. The most common cause of this is artherosclerosis in which there is a gradual thickening and hardening of the walls of the arteries. Diabetes is the most common cause of PVD.
Symptoms include a dull cramping pain in the calf muscle after walking that is relieved by resting. This is called claudication. There can be numbness in the foot or toes. You may notice changes in the color of the skin where it becomes pale, bluish or reddish. Also some patients notice a change in skin temperature where the foot becomes cooler. Skin breakdowns, infection and sores do not heal as well as they should.