At 70, John Balta thought the painful cramping in his legs might be one more nuisance that comes with age. But the pain didn’t behave like ordinary soreness. It showed up after long stretches of sitting and, at times, hit hardest at night.
“It wasn’t just soreness,” John says. “It was overwhelming pain. I couldn’t relax, I couldn’t sit still, and some nights I couldn’t even get out of bed without bracing myself.” When the discomfort began showing up more frequently (and at times in both legs), he knew he had to do something.
John’s daughter, Jessica, a nurse who at the time worked at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, urged him to treat it as a warning sign, not an inconvenience. She pointed him to Melissa Meghpara, DO, a vascular surgeon at MedStar St. Mary’s.
For many people over 50, leg pain, heaviness, or fatigue can feel like part of aging. But sometimes, those small signals point to peripheral artery disease (PAD), a circulation condition that most often affects the legs.
“PAD develops when plaque builds up inside the arteries, narrowing the pathways that carry oxygen-rich blood through the body,” explains Dr. Meghpara.
“When that circulation slows, it can cause pain or cramping while walking, coldness or discoloration in a limb, or wounds that heal slowly. Left untreated, PAD can lead to serious complications, including amputation.”
John’s evaluation started with a straightforward step that can quickly clarify what’s going on–checking blood flow in the legs. “Dr. Meghpara said that we should check the circulation in both legs and see what we’re dealing with,” John remembers. “That’s when it felt real to me, because now we weren’t guessing.”
Early action, a better path forwardJohn ultimately received a minimally invasive treatment to restore blood flow to his leg and improve his circulation. The procedure used multiple balloons and stents in his legs (tiny mesh tubes placed inside narrowed arteries to help hold them open and restore blood flow). With the recent advances in treatment for PAD we are able to combine both optimal medical management with surgical treatment options to allow for better long term outcomes.
The improvement was dramatic. “After the first procedure, it was like my body could finally settle down,” he says. “I started sleeping again. The pain wasn’t ruining my whole day. It didn’t disappear overnight, but it got noticeably better—and it kept getting better.”
He also credits the team experience for making a stressful situation feel manageable. “Everybody was professional. They explained what they were doing and what to watch for,” John says. “That matters when you’re in pain and you don’t know what comes next.”
Because PAD can progress quietly, long-term follow-up is important even when symptoms improve. “We want patients to bring up anything that feels different,” says Dr. Meghpara. “The sooner we know, the sooner we can act, and that can make all the difference.”
Talk with your primary care provider about seeing a vascular provider for prevention, screening, and treatment options, or visit MedStarHealth.org/PADAction for more information.