Free arterial disease screening offered at St. Francis Health-Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS – If you have poor circulation in your legs, causing pain when you walk or stand, it could be a sign of peripheral artery disease (PAD), a condition that puts you at high risk for heart disease and stroke.

To see if you are at risk for PAD, sign up for a free Legs for Life screening offered by Franciscan St. Francis Health from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Indianapolis hospital campus, 8111 S. Emerson Ave.

With PAD, the vessels that carry blood to the arms and legs become narrowed or clogged, interfering with the normal flow of blood, sometimes causing pain. Often, however, a person may experience no serious symptoms but still have peripheral artery disease.

Symptoms of PAD include:

• Leg or hip pain when walking but stops when resting

• Numbness, tingling or weakness in legs

• Burning or aching pain in feet or toes when resting

• Sore on leg or foot that won’t heal

• Cold legs or feet

• Color change in skin of legs or feet

• Loss of hair on legs

To qualify for the free screening, participants must be 50 or older and not currently under the care of a cardiologist or vascular surgeon.

Registration for Legs for Life is required. To make an appointment, call 317-782-4422, or toll free at 877-888-1777.