The pain described as sharp and intermittent in arterial insufficiency is known as what symptom?

• A. Claudication
• B. Rest pain
• C. Paresthesia
• D. Numbness and tingling

Answer: (A)

Exertional leg pain from reduced arterial blood flow is called claudication. This symptom arises when muscles need more oxygen during activity but the arteries can’t supply enough, causing reversible ischemia that produces pain with walking or other exertion. It’s typically reproducible with activity and relieved by rest, which is why it’s described as intermittent and exercise-induced. Rest pain, in contrast, happens when lying down or at night due to more advanced poor perfusion and is not tied to exertion. Paresthesias or numbness and tingling are sensory phenomena that may accompany nerve or chronic ischemic changes, not the classic exercise-triggered pain pattern of claudication.