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 .
Cardiovascular Training Effect Associated With Polestriding Exercise in Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease
Because individuals with claudication pain secondary to peripheral arterial disease ( PAD ) are limited in both walking speed and duration , the benefits of walking exercise may be insufficient to yield a cardiovascular training effect . The objectives of this analysis were to determine whether polestriding exercise training , performed by persons with PAD , would improve exercise endurance , elicit a cardiovascular training benefit , and improve quality of life ( QoL ) .  Persons ( n = 49 ) whose claudication pain limited their exercise capacity were r and omized into a 24-week polestriding training program ( n = 25 , 65.8 ± 7.1 years of age ) or a nonexercise attention control group ( n = 24 , 68.0 ± 8.6 years of age ) . Those assigned to the polestriding group trained 3 times weekly . Control group subjects came to the laboratory biweekly for ankle blood pressure measurements . A symptom-limited ramp treadmill test , ratings of perceived leg pain , and QoL data ( using the Short Form-36 ) were obtained at baseline and upon completion of training . After 24 weeks of polestriding training , subjects increased their exercise endurance from 10.3 ± 4.1 minute to 15.1 ± 4.5 minute . This was significantly greater than control group subjects whose exercise endurance declined ( from 11.2 ± 4.7 to 10.3 ± 4.7 minute ; P < .001 ) . Relationships between systolic blood pressure ( P < .001 ) , heart rate ( P = .04 ) , rate pressure product ( P = .05 ) , oxygen uptake ( P = .016 ) , and perceived leg pain ( P = .02 ) and exercise time improved from the baseline symptom-limited treadmill test to the 6-month symptom-limited treadmill test in the polestriding group compared to the control group . The improvement in the physical component summary score of the Short Form-36 was also greater in the polestriding group ( P = .031 ) . Polestriding training significantly improved the clinical indicators of cardiovascular fitness and QoL , and decreased symptoms of claudication pain during exertion
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 .