National Red Sock Day Declared for Peripheral Artery Disease Awareness
National Red Sock Day is Feb. 19, 2022, and physicians, industry, advocates and patients will align to save life and limb by raising awareness about the risk factors, diagnosis and treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease (P.A.D.), which is plaque build-up in mainly the leg arteries.
One in five adults over age 60, one in three diabetics over age 50, and three in five heart attack sufferers have P.A.D., but most don’t know it until it’s too late, if at all, and heart attack, stroke or amputation are imminent. Symptoms of leg pain, leg cramps, neuropathy, numbness and tingling are often brushed off as part of aging, diabetes, sciatica or fibromyalgia.
The goal of National Red Sock Day is to spark a discussion between patients and physicians about early testing for P.A.D. and early appropriate treatment to reduce the 1.5 million annual heart attacks and strokes as well as the nearly 200,000 annual PAD-related amputations. The highest risk individuals are those in the African American and Hispanic communities who have the highest rates of preventable P.A.D. related amputations.
To observe National Red Sock Day, everyone is asked to wear either their official PAD Awareness Socks or any bright red socks on February 19, 2022, then post pictures on social media using the hashtag #NationalRedSockDay.
Physicians and patients are available in all local and national markets for media interviews leading up to and on National Red Sock Day. They can share how leg health might indicate risk for heart attack, stroke and amputation as well as offer critical questions patients should discuss with their physician to ensure early diagnosis and early appropriate treatment. Clinicians can also demonstrate how easy it is to test for P.A.D.
The Way To My Heart, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) advocacy organization providing support for P.A.D. patients, founded National Red Sock Day in 2022 at the request of its community of more than 8,000 P.A.D. patients worldwide. Its P.A.D. Warrior Task force chose a red sock because P.A.D. is a circulation issue and it draws attention to the importance of leg health. The official PAD Awareness socks, which are red, with a sky blue toe and heel, were designed by the P.A.D. Task Force and voted on by more than 2,000 patients. The hints of “sky blue” indicate what happens if P.A.D. is not diagnosed and treated in early stages. PAD Awareness socks are being sold as a fundraiser for The Way To My Heart’s Care Access Program (C.A.P.), which provides critical resources to help P.A.D. patients improve their quality of life
