claudication
(klod‵ĭ-kā'shŏn 
)
[L. claudicatio, a limp]
Cramping pain that limits movement of the legs or arms, occurring during exercise.
intermittent c.Cramping or pain in leg muscles brought on by a predictable amount of walking (or other form of exercise) and relieved by rest. This symptom is a marker of peripheral vascular disease of the aortoiliac, femoral, or popliteal arteries. It may be present in patients with diffuse atherosclerosis, for example, with arterial insufficiency in the coronary or carotid circulations as well as the limbs.
SEE: peripheral vascular disease.
The patient often has thin or shiny skin over the parts of the limb with decreased blood flow. Diminished pulses and bruits (audible blood flow through partially blocked arteries) may also be present.
In patients with a suggestive history, the blood pressure (BP) is measured in the affected limb and divided by the BP in the arm on the same side of the body. This ratio is called the ankle-brachial index (ABI); patients with significant peripheral vascular disease have an ABI of less than 85%. If surgery is contemplated for the patient, angiography may be used to define anatomical obstructions more precisely.
Affected patients are encouraged to begin a program of regular exercise, to try to maximize collateral blood flow to the legs. Oral pentoxifylline improves the distance patients can walk without pain. For severely limiting claudication, patients may require angioplasty or arterial bypass surgery to respectively open or bypass obstructed arteries.
jaw c.Fatigue or cramping pain felt in the jaw, esp. while eating meats or other tough foods. About half of all patients with giant cell arteritis report this symptom.
neurogenic c.Leg pain or numbness that occurs with stand ing or walking and is relieved by sitting or resting with the spine flexed. It is typically caused by spinal cord compression.
venous c.Claudication resulting from inadequate venous drainage.