In addition to affecting the heart, when fatty arterial build-up occurs, it can also narrow the arteries in the rest of the body leading to peripheral artery disease (PAD).
People with PAD may experience pain in legs with walking. This is called claudication, and it subsides after physical activity is ceased. The most common symptom of PAD is calf pain but other symptoms that might be experienced are numbness or weakness in one leg, cold sensation in one leg or foot, skin color changes, sores on the legs, feet or toes that would not heal.
When PAD progresses without treatment to the point that pain in the legs occur even when resting, it is called ischemic rest pain. Most people notice these changes in the legs over time.