Effect of a home-based calf neuromuscular electrical stimulation program on walking capacity in adults with...

To evaluate whether a 3-month home-based neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) program improved maximal walking distance (MWD) in patients with lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) compared with usual care.

This multicenter randomized clinical trial included 73 adults with PAD and walking impairment from five French university hospitals between September 2019 and July 2022, with final follow-up in November 2022. Participants were randomized to a NMES group (n = 34) or a usual care group (n = 39) for 3 months. Both groups received standard medical management and lifestyle advice; the NMES group performed calf NMES sessions at home for 2-3 hours/day, 5 days/week. The primary outcome was the 3-month change in treadmill MWD. Secondary outcomes included change in 6-minute total walking distance.

Of the 73 randomized participants (mean [SD] age, 62.8 [9.2] years; 14 [19.2%] women), 64 (88%) completed the 3-month follow-up. Mean treadmill MWD increased from 148.5 m at baseline to 254.1 m at 3 months in the NMES group and from 142.5 m to 175.8 m in the usual care group (between-group difference, 69.9 m [95% CI, 10.8-129.0 m]; P = .02). The 6-minute total walking distance improved from 371.0 m to 405.4 m with NMES and from 342.5 m to 348.8 m with usual care (between-group difference, 29.6 m [95% CI, 5.1-54.1 m]; P = .02).

In patients with PAD and walking impairment, a 3-month home-based calf NMES program significantly improved walking capacity. Further studies are needed to assess long-term effects.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03795103.