Conclusion Although data are limited , there is a strong significant relationship between plantar flexor muscle strength and treadmill walking ability .
Background and Objective Exercise is a widely accepted treatment known to improve walking ability in persons with peripheral arterial disease ( PAD ) ; however , it has not been confirmed as to whether exercise improves fitness and performance-based function and , consequently , performance of activities of daily living ( ADL ) .
This systematic review aims to identify whether any mode of structured exercise improves physical fitness or performance-based tests of function and whether improvement in walking ability is related to an improvement in these outcomes .
Data Sources and Study Selection Eligible studies included r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) using an exercise intervention for the treatment of intermittent claudication with fitness ( including the 6-min walk ( 6MW ) , aerobic capacity , shuttle and muscle strength ) tests and performance-based tests of function as the outcomes .
Exercise rehabilitation improves functional outcomes and peripheral circulation in patients with intermittent claudication: a randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of a 6-month exercise program on ambulatory function , free-living daily physical activity , peripheral circulation , and health-related quality of life ( QOL ) in disabled older patients with intermittent claudication . DESIGN Prospect i ve , r and omized controlled trial . SETTING University Medical ( Center and Veterans Affairs Medical Center , Baltimore , Maryl and . PARTICIPANTS Thirty-one of 61 patients with Fontaine stage II peripheral arterial occlusive disease ( PAOD ) were r and omized to  exercise rehabilitation and 30 to  usual-care control . Three patients from the exercise group and six patients from the control group dropped out , leaving 28 and 24 patients , respectively , completing the study in each group . INTERVENTION Six months of exercise rehabilitation . MEASUREMENTS Treadmill distance walked to onset of claudication and to maximal claudication , ambulatory function , peripheral circulation , perceived QOL , and daily physical activity . RESULTS Compliance with the exercise program was 73 % of the possible sessions . Exercise rehabilitation increased treadmill distance walked to onset of claudication by 134 % ( P < .001 ) and to maximal claudication by 77 % ( P < .001 ) , walking economy by 12 % ( P = .003 ) , 6-minute walk distance by 12 % ( P < .001 ) , and maximal calf blood flow by 30 % ( P < .001 ) . Changes in distance walked to maximal pain correlated with changes in walking economy ( r = -.50 , P = .013 ) and changes in maximal calf blood flow ( r = .38 , P = .047 ) . Exercise rehabilitation increased accelerometer-derived daily physical activity by 38 % ( P < .001 ) ; this change correlated with the change in distance walked to maximal pain ( r = .45 , P = .020 ) . These improvements were significantly better than the changes in the control group ( P < .05 ) . CONCLUSION Improvements in claudication following exercise rehabilitation in older PAOD patients are dependent on improvements in peripheral circulation and walking economy . Improvement in treadmill claudication distances in these patients translated into increased accelerometer-derived physical activity in the community , which enabled the patients to become more functionally independent
Conclusion Although data are limited , there is a strong significant relationship between plantar flexor muscle strength and treadmill walking ability .
Background and Objective Exercise is a widely accepted treatment known to improve walking ability in persons with peripheral arterial disease ( PAD ) ; however , it has not been confirmed as to whether exercise improves fitness and performance-based function and , consequently , performance of activities of daily living ( ADL ) .
This systematic review aims to identify whether any mode of structured exercise improves physical fitness or performance-based tests of function and whether improvement in walking ability is related to an improvement in these outcomes .
Data Sources and Study Selection Eligible studies included r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) using an exercise intervention for the treatment of intermittent claudication with fitness ( including the 6-min walk ( 6MW ) , aerobic capacity , shuttle and muscle strength ) tests and performance-based tests of function as the outcomes .