September is Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) Awareness Month, and RestorixHealth wound centers across the nation are raising awareness with a simple tool: one white sock. Wearing only one white sock symbolizes the many patients with late-stage PAD who received an amputation due to delayed treatment.
Why PAD is important?
Affecting more than 8 million Americans ages 40 and older1, PAD occurs when arteries in the legs become narrowed or blocked by plaque buildup, reducing blood flow to the limbs. It is a common, yet serious disease that can occur in any artery; however, it most commonly affects the blood flow in your legs. When blood flow is limited, people with PAD are at a greater risk for developing wounds. In addition, without healthy circulation, the oxygen and nutrients critical to successful healing are unable to reach those wounds. Left untreated, PAD can result in serious consequences, including amputation.
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/peripheral-artery-disease
The white sock campaign was created by the Save A Limb, Save A Life Foundation (SALSAL) as a grass-roots concept to take action on the issues of PAD, critical limb ischemia and unnecessary lower extremity amputations versus simply talking about them. This year, SALSAL directly challenged wound care and limb salvage programs, including our RestorixHealth partner centers, with taking a picture in their one white sock and sharing it on social media. This is because programs like these are dedicated to educating their patients on the risks of delayed treatment for PAD and act as an at-risk patient’s biggest advocate for proper diagnosis and timely treatment of their limb-threatening wound or infection.
White sock campaign in pictures
Since 2021, RestorixHealth has celebrated PAD Awareness Month throughout the month of September with the white sock campaign, and we are proud of the centers and corporate staff who participated in this year’s campaign.
