The effect of exercise compared with placebo or usual care was inconclusive on mortality , amputation and peak exercise calf blood flow due to limited data .
Angioplasty may produce greater improvements than exercise in the short term but this effect may not be sustained .
Exercise programmes were of significant benefit compared with placebo or usual care in improving walking time and distance in selected patients with leg pain from IC
BACKGROUND Exercise programmes are a relatively inexpensive , low-risk option compared with other more invasive therapies for leg pain on walking ( intermittent claudication ( IC ) ) .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effects of exercise programmes on IC , particularly in respect of reduction of symptoms on walking and improvement in quality of life .
Extending the range of treadmill testing for patients with intermittent claudication.
PURPOSE There is a need to evaluate patients with peripheral arterial disease ( PAD ) with a limited or extended walking distance . We aim ed to enable an estimation of walking distance as measured on a frequently used " st and ard " grade d ( 3.2 km·h(-1 ) , 2 % increase per 2 min ) protocol for walking distances measured on protocol s with a lower or higher workload . METHODS Patients with PAD and an absolute claudication distance ( ACD ) of < 500 or between 1000 and 1600 m as measured with the " st and ard " protocol were included . Four grade d study treadmill protocol s , two with lower and two with higher workload than the " st and ard " protocol , were developed . Two study protocol s ( low or high ) and the " st and ard " protocol were repeated in r and om order . Quality was determined with the intraclass correlation coefficient and the coefficient of variation . Orthogonal regression analysis was used to predict walking distances on the st and ard protocol on the basis of the study protocol s. RESULTS Forty-three patients with an ACD < 500 m and 23 patients with an ACD between 1000 and 1600 m were included . Because feasibility from the protocol s with 2.0 km·h(-1 ) and 2 % increase every 2 min and 4.4 km·h(-1 ) and 2 % increase every minute was highest , they were calibrated against the " st and ard " protocol , and reliability was comparable with the " st and ard " protocol . The coefficient of variation between the prediction of walking distance on the " st and ard " protocol on the basis of the new protocol s and the measured distances were in the same range ( 22%-25 % ) as the variation measured performing the same treadmill test twice . CONCLUSIONS An accurate estimate of walking distance as measured on a " st and ard " treadmill protocol can be derived from a protocol with a lower or higher workload
The effect of exercise compared with placebo or usual care was inconclusive on mortality , amputation and peak exercise calf blood flow due to limited data .
Angioplasty may produce greater improvements than exercise in the short term but this effect may not be sustained .
Exercise programmes were of significant benefit compared with placebo or usual care in improving walking time and distance in selected patients with leg pain from IC
BACKGROUND Exercise programmes are a relatively inexpensive , low-risk option compared with other more invasive therapies for leg pain on walking ( intermittent claudication ( IC ) ) .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effects of exercise programmes on IC , particularly in respect of reduction of symptoms on walking and improvement in quality of life .