- With Mayo Clinic neurologist
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Dr. Jerry Swanson is a board-certified neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He is also board certified in headache medicine and is a professor of neurology at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic. He has a special interest in medical education.
Dr. Swanson, a Lacon, Ill., native, was appointed to the Mayo Clinic staff in 1982 and works in the Department of Neurology with more than 90 other physicians. He formerly chaired the department's Division of Headache and continues to work with headache subspecialists around the world. He has published and lectured widely on headache disorders. He also serves as assistant dean for assessment at Mayo Medical School.
"In a manner similar to the printing press, Internet technology enables the unprecedented ability to communicate with the global community about health information," Dr. Swanson says. "There is no doubt that the knowledgeable individual contributes greatly to his or her own health care, and now we can share information much more widely.
"There is much information already available about health care on the Internet. Unfortunately, much of it is not founded on sound principles. It is exciting to be a part of the web team and contribute to the creation of a reliable and timely health resource."
Dr. Swanson is the neurology editor for "Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and has reviewed articles for "Mayo Clinic Health Letter" and "Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource." He is also editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic on Headache" book, published in 2004. In 2008 the magazine Women's Health named him one of America's Top Doctors for Women. In 2011 he received the Mayo Medical School Dean's Recognition Award for his contributions to undergraduate medical education.
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Question
Pseudoclaudication: Is it related to claudication?
What is the difference between claudication and pseudoclaudication?
Answer
from Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Pseudoclaudication and claudication cause similar symptoms — typically, lower limb pain while standing or walking — but for different reasons.
Pseudoclaudication is a result of narrowing of the lumbar spinal canal (lumbar spinal stenosis). This puts pressure on the spinal nerve roots, which control movement and sensation in the lower limbs. Claudication, on the other hand, is a symptom of peripheral artery disease, a circulation problem that results in decreased blood flow in the arteries that supply blood to muscles below the waist.
Pseudoclaudication typically causes pain and discomfort in the buttocks, thighs, legs and feet with walking or prolonged standing. You may also experience numbness and weakness in your legs. The pain of pseudoclaudication typically is relieved by sitting or bending forward at the waist, which reduces nerve pressure. Treatment of pseudoclaudication is directed at reducing the spinal stenosis.
- Levin K. Lumbar spinal stenosis: Pathophysiology, clinical features, and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 28, 2011.
- Dixit RK. Approach to the patient with low back pain. In: Imboden JB, et al. Current Rheumatology Diagnosis & Treatment. 2nd ed. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2724205. Accessed April 25, 2011.
- Peripheral artery disease. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec07/ch080/ch080f.html. Accessed April 28, 2011.
- Suri P, et al. Does this older adult with lower extremity pain have the clinical syndrome of lumbar spinal stenosis? The Journal of the American Medical Association. 2010;304:2628.
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