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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffClaudication is a symptom of peripheral arterial disease. In peripheral arterial disease, the arteries that supply blood to your limbs are damaged. This damage is often the result of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis can develop in any of your arteries, especially those in your heart. When atherosclerosis affects your arms and legs, it's called peripheral arterial disease.
Atherosclerosis makes arteries hard and narrow. That's because the arteries get clogged with clumps of fat, cholesterol and other material, called atherosclerotic plaques. These plaques can make arteries so narrow that less blood can flow through them. You feel pain because your leg muscles are not getting enough oxygenated blood.
