Intermittent claudication is a symptomatology term that you may often hear mentioned during outpatient visits. Relatively speaking, this symptom is most commonly seen in lumbar spine disorders, but it can also occur in patients with thoracic spinal stenosis, which differs in detail. Let me explain in detail: What is intermittent claudication? What should be done when intermittent claudication occurs? Literally speaking, “limp” refers to a limping gait when walking, which is often seen in patients with lower limb joint or muscle injuries, and their limp is continuous, while “intermittent limp” means walking without always limping, but intermittent limping, good for a while and bad for a while. This is true. It is true that in clinical work we often see some patients who start walking with nothing abnormal, but after walking a small distance (tens to hundreds of meters) continuously, they have lower limb discomfort and a limping gait, and serious people have to stop and rest, and after they rest for a short time (several minutes), those discomforts are obviously reduced or even completely disappeared, and they can continue to walk normally again. After a short period of rest (several minutes), those discomforts are significantly reduced or even completely disappeared, and they can continue to walk normally again, but then walk for a while and limp again, and so on, and this phenomenon is called “intermittent claudication”. There are various diseases that may affect the lower limbs causing intermittent claudication, and intermittent claudication can be divided into three categories according to the etiology: neurogenic intermittent claudication (common in lumbar spinal stenosis), spinal cord-derived intermittent claudication (common in thoracic spinal stenosis), and vascular intermittent claudication (common in arteriosclerotic occlusive disease of the lower limbs). An intuitive difference between the different etiologies of intermittent claudication is that the specific symptoms of claudication are different. In neurogenic intermittent claudication, the symptoms are radiating numbness in the longitudinal strip-like region of the lower extremity; in spinal intermittent claudication, the symptoms are weakness, sinking, stiffness, and unstable gait in the entire lower extremity; and in vascular intermittent claudication, the symptoms are coldness, numbness, and weakness in the glove-like region of the distal lower extremity, with pallor. This is accompanied by a pale appearance. If the symptoms of intermittent claudication appear, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible to confirm the diagnosis and to determine the appropriate treatment based on the diagnosis. If intermittent claudication of neurological origin is suspected, MRI or CT of the lumbar region can be investigated; if intermittent claudication of spinal origin is suspected, MRI or CT of the cervical or thoracic spine can be investigated; if intermittent claudication of vascular origin is suspected, vascular ultrasound or angiography of the lower extremities can be investigated. The specific selection of which tests should be decided by the specialist according to the specific condition, patients should not make their own decisions, because the doctor in making each decision will refer to their extensive clinical experience, which can never be obtained by reading a few scientific articles.