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 .
Home-based walking exercise intervention in peripheral artery disease: a randomized clinical trial.
IMPORTANCE Clinical practice guidelines state there is insufficient evidence to support advising patients with peripheral artery disease ( PAD ) to participate in a home-based walking exercise program . OBJECTIVE To determine whether a home-based walking exercise program that uses a group-mediated cognitive behavioral intervention , incorporating both group support and self-regulatory skills , can improve functional performance compared with a health education control group in patients with PAD with and without intermittent claudication . DESIGN , SETTING , AND PATIENTS R and omized controlled clinical trial of 194 patients with PAD , including 72.2 % without classic symptoms of intermittent claudication , performed in Chicago , Illinois between July 22 , 2008 , and December 14 , 2012 . INTERVENTIONS Participants were r and omized to 1 of 2 parallel groups : a home-based group-mediated cognitive behavioral walking intervention or an attention control condition . MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was 6-month change in 6-minute walk performance . Secondary outcomes included 6-month change in treadmill walking , physical activity , the Walking Impairment Question naire ( WIQ ) , and Physical and Mental Health Composite Scores from the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey . RESULTS Participants r and omized to the intervention group significantly increased their 6-minute walk distance ( [ reported in meters ] 357.4 to 399.8 vs 353.3 to 342.2 for those in the control group ; mean difference , 53.5 [ 95 % CI , 33.2 to 73.8 ] ; P < .001 ) , maximal treadmill walking time ( intervention , 7.91 to 9.44 minutes vs control , 7.56 to 8.09 ; mean difference , 1.01 minutes [ 95 % CI , 0.07 to 1.95 ] ; P = .04 ) , accelerometer-measured physical activity over 7 days ( intervention , 778.0 to 866.1 vs control , 671.6 to 645.0 ; mean difference , 114.7 activity units [ 95 % CI , 12.82 to 216.5 ] ; P = .03 ) , WIQ distance score ( intervention , 35.3 to 47.4 vs control , 33.3 to 34.4 ; mean difference , 11.1 [ 95 % CI , 3.9 to 18.1 ] ; P = .003 ) , and WIQ speed score ( intervention , 36.1 to 47.7 vs control , 35.3 - 36.6 ; mean difference , 10.4 [ 95 % CI , 3.4 to 17.4 ] ; P = .004 ) . CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE A home-based walking exercise program significantly improved walking endurance , physical activity , and patient-perceived walking endurance and speed in PAD participants with and without classic claudication symptoms . These findings have implication s for the large number of patients with PAD who are unable or unwilling to participate in supervised exercise programs . TRIAL REGISTRATION clinical trials.gov Identifier : NCT00693940
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 .