Each time the pain occurs, it takes about the same amount of time for the pain to go away after you stop walking. If you notice pain in your legs after you walk a block or more, you may have claudication. Claudication occurs because not enough blood is flowing to a muscle. The artery that normally supplies blood to the muscle gets narrow, and less blood can flow through the artery. When you're resting, enough blood flows to the muscle to meet the needs of the muscle.
Atherosclerosis causes the arteries in the legs to become narrow.
With atherosclerosis, fatty material builds up in the walls of the artery. This fatty material causes narrowing of the artery. Health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and cigarette smoking may cause you to have atherosclerosis. Risk factors for claudication include high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking and older age. Claudication is also more likely in people who already have atherosclerosis in other arteries in the body, such as the arteries in the heart or brain.