Outcomes following supervised exercise and home-based exercise for patients with intermittent claudication

Area of Science:

• Vascular Medicine
• Exercise Physiology
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Intermittent claudication (IC) is a primary symptom of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), caused by atherosclerotic arterial obstruction leading to muscle ischemia.
• Exercise programs are evidence-based interventions for IC, improving walking capacity but not typically ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI).

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze walking and ABPI outcomes in patients with IC following a 12-week exercise program.
• To compare the effectiveness of supervised versus home-based exercise for improving IC symptoms and vascular markers.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of data from 46 participants with a history of IC.
• Participants completed a 12-week supervised or home-based exercise program.
• Outcomes measured included claudication onset distance (COD), peak walking distance (PWD), and resting ABPI.

Main Results:

• Supervised exercise significantly increased COD by 363% and PWD by 324.4%.
• Home-based exercise increased COD by 30.6% and PWD by 31.5%.
• Resting ABPI significantly improved from 0.82 to 0.88 in the total cohort (p=0.027).

Conclusions:

• A 12-week exercise program positively impacts walking ability and ABPI in patients with IC.
• Supervised exercise yields superior improvements in walking outcomes compared to home-based exercise.
• Both exercise types demonstrated significant improvements in resting ABPI, contrasting with some prior findings.