Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher pauses at the casket of former President Ronald Reagan as he lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda on June 9, 2004, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Weâve all had throbbing leg pain at some point in our life. As a young adult, this throbbing leg pain is typically caused by some athletic event or injury. But as we get older, there are other considerations that can be a bit more serious.
But as Dow's case shows, it can happen throughout the body. When it does, it's called peripheral arterial disease, or PAD. And in some people, PAD causes leg pain that acts as an 'early warning' that someone is at high risk for a heart attack or a stroke, says a University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center expert. Leg pain could be a sign of possible peripheral arterial disease.