Arterial disease
Peripheral Arterial Disease
Narrowed leg arteries causing cramping on walking, rest pain or non-healing wounds. Assessed and treated in Singapore — early care protects the limb.
Last reviewed 1 Jul 2026
Reviewed by Dr Tay Jia Sheng · Vascular, Endovascular & General Surgeon
What is peripheral arterial disease?
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the narrowing or blockage of the arteries supplying the legs, most commonly from atherosclerosis. The classic symptom is claudication — a cramping ache in the calf, thigh or buttock that comes on with walking and eases with rest. As disease advances, pain can occur at rest, and wounds on the foot may fail to heal. This stage, critical limb ischaemia, threatens the limb itself.
Who is at risk?
Diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, kidney disease and age all raise the risk. In Singapore, diabetes-related PAD is a major cause of foot ulcers and amputation — most of which are preventable with timely vascular care.
How I assess it
Assessment combines a clinical examination with ankle-brachial pressure measurement and arterial duplex ultrasound, performed during your consultation. Where intervention is being planned, CT angiography maps the arteries in detail.
Treatment options
- Medical therapy and risk factor control — the foundation for every patient: antiplatelet therapy, cholesterol management, diabetes control and structured walking
- Angioplasty, atherectomy and stenting — reopening narrowed or blocked arteries from inside the vessel through a small puncture, often as a day procedure
- Bypass surgery — rerouting blood around long blockages where endovascular treatment is not suitable
- Wound care and diabetic foot management — protecting the foot while circulation is restored
When to seek help promptly
Foot pain at night relieved by hanging the leg down, a foot wound that is not healing within two weeks, or a cold, pale, painful foot are signs that need urgent vascular assessment.
Frequently asked questions
- What does claudication feel like?
- A cramping ache in the calf, thigh or buttock that comes on with walking a predictable distance and eases within minutes of standing still. Because it is brought on by exertion and relieved by rest, it is often put down to age or fitness — but in an older adult, or anyone with diabetes or a smoking history, it deserves an arterial assessment.
- How is peripheral arterial disease diagnosed?
- Clinical examination together with an ankle-brachial pressure measurement and an arterial duplex ultrasound, performed during the consultation. Where a procedure is being planned, CT angiography maps the arteries in detail.
- Do I need a procedure, or can PAD be managed with medication?
- Medical therapy and risk-factor control are the foundation for every patient — antiplatelet treatment, cholesterol management, diabetes control and a structured walking programme. A procedure is considered when symptoms limit daily life despite that, or when the disease has advanced to rest pain or a non-healing wound.
- What is critical limb ischaemia?
- The advanced stage of PAD, in which the blood supply is no longer enough even at rest: pain in the foot at night that is relieved by hanging the leg down, or wounds on the foot that will not heal. It threatens the limb and needs urgent vascular assessment, because restoring blood flow is what allows a wound to heal.
- Why is PAD such a concern for people with diabetes in Singapore?
- Diabetes-related PAD is a major cause of foot ulcers and amputation here, and most of those outcomes are preventable with timely vascular care. Nerve damage means injuries go unnoticed while reduced blood flow slows healing, so any foot wound in a person with diabetes should be assessed early rather than watched.