Data showed improvements secondary to exercise in ' physical function ' and ' general health ' .
The other domains - ' role physical ' , ' bodily pain ' , ' vitality ' , ' social ' , ' role emotional ' , and ' mental health ' - did not show improvement at six months .
Although results showed significant heterogeneity between trials , population s and outcomes were comparable overall , with findings relevant to the claudicant population .
High- quality evidence shows that exercise programmes provided important benefit compared with placebo or usual care in improving both pain-free and maximum walking distance in people with leg pain from IC who were considered to be fit for exercise intervention .
Exercise did not improve ABI , and we found no evidence of an effect of exercise on amputation or mortality .
Exercise may improve quality of life when compared with placebo or usual care .
BACKGROUND Exercise programmes are a relatively inexpensive , low-risk option compared with other , more invasive therapies for treatment of leg pain on walking ( intermittent claudication ( IC ) ) .
This is the fourth up date of a review first published in 1998 .
OBJECTIVES Our goal was to determine whether an exercise programme was effective in alleviating symptoms and increasing walking treadmill distances and walking times in people with intermittent claudication .
Secondary objectives were to determine whether exercise was effective in preventing deterioration of underlying disease , reducing cardiovascular events , and improving quality of life .
Red Blood Cell Deformability in Patients With Claudication After Pain-free Treadmill Training
Objectives To assess the effect of pain-free treadmill training on red blood cell deformability and walking distance in patients with claudication . Design R and omized-controlled trial of exercise training . Setting Patients were recruited from the primary care , vascular outpatient clinic . Patients A total of 60 patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease ( stage II according to Leriche-Fontaine ) were r and omized into the treadmill program or a control group .  Fifty-five patients completed the study ( 27 in the exercising group and 28 in the control group ) . Interventions Patients in the exercising group were walking on the treadmill 3 times a week for 3 months . Each session consisted of 1 hour repetitive walking [ performed to 85 % of the pain-free walking time ( PFWT ) ] was supervised by a qualified physiotherapist . Main Outcome Measurements Changes in erythrocyte deformability and treadmill walking performance ( PFWT , maximal walking time ) were assessed in both groups before the study and after 3 months . Results After 3 months of treadmill training , red blood cell deformability in the exercising group significantly increased ( P<0.01 ) . No significant changes were seen in the erythrocyte deformability in the control group . PFWT was prolonged by 102 % from 191±34 to 386±60 seconds ( P<0.01 ) , and maximal walking time increased by 49 % from 438±62 to 656±79 seconds ( P<0.01 ) in the exercising group , whereas these changes were insignificant in the control group . Conclusions A significant improvement of walking ability over 3 months of pain-free treadmill training is associated with a significant increase in red cell deformability in patients with claudication
Data showed improvements secondary to exercise in ' physical function ' and ' general health ' .
The other domains - ' role physical ' , ' bodily pain ' , ' vitality ' , ' social ' , ' role emotional ' , and ' mental health ' - did not show improvement at six months .
Although results showed significant heterogeneity between trials , population s and outcomes were comparable overall , with findings relevant to the claudicant population .
High- quality evidence shows that exercise programmes provided important benefit compared with placebo or usual care in improving both pain-free and maximum walking distance in people with leg pain from IC who were considered to be fit for exercise intervention .
Exercise did not improve ABI , and we found no evidence of an effect of exercise on amputation or mortality .
Exercise may improve quality of life when compared with placebo or usual care .
BACKGROUND Exercise programmes are a relatively inexpensive , low-risk option compared with other , more invasive therapies for treatment of leg pain on walking ( intermittent claudication ( IC ) ) .
This is the fourth up date of a review first published in 1998 .
OBJECTIVES Our goal was to determine whether an exercise programme was effective in alleviating symptoms and increasing walking treadmill distances and walking times in people with intermittent claudication .
Secondary objectives were to determine whether exercise was effective in preventing deterioration of underlying disease , reducing cardiovascular events , and improving quality of life .