But after a few weeks, when the pain didn't go away, I knew something was up. Intermittent claudication, a symptom of peripheral arterial disease, occurs when there is a narrowing of the leg arteries. This restricts blood flow to the legs, which causes pain when walking. The hallmark of intermittent claudication is a cramp in the leg, especially the calf, that occurs with exercise and is relieved by rest. Another sign of claudication is if the pain worsens when you walk uphill.
Some people describe the sensation as muscle fatigue, or an aching feeling.
Intermittent claudication is not to be confused with nighttime leg cramps. It's common for smokers to have these symptoms as their first sign of vascular disease. And blood vessel disease elsewhere, for instance in the heart, predicts claudication in the leg. Other risk factors are diabetes, unhealthy levels of blood lipids, high blood pressure, family history and a sedentary life style. The doctor detects intermittent claudication with simple tests, usually right in the office.