Dissipation of claudication pain after walking: implications for endurance training

Although onset and maximal claudication pain are attained sooner as exercise intensity is increased, it is unclear whether dissipation of pain during recovery is altered. Thus, this study examined whether walking at gradually higher intensity would prolong the time needed for claudication pain to dissipate during recovery. Thirty patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) who were limited by claudication pain performed repeated progressive treadmill tests to assess walking capacity. Thereafter, each patient performed five treadmill tests at grades relative to their walking capacity (i.e., -4%, -2%, 0%, +2%, and +4% of the final grade attained with the progressive protocol). As expected, a curvilinear decrease in time to onset of claudication pain (191.1, 172.8, 132.8, 113.5, and 112.0 s; P < 0.05) and time to maximal claudication pain (394.2, 358.3, 260.5, 218.1, and 200.3 s; P < 0.05) were obtained with progressively higher grades. However, time needed for claudication pain to dissipate during supine recovery remained unchanged with increased walking intensity (358.5, 339.3, 359.9, 398.2, and 390.5 s; P = NS). In conclusion, when PAD patients walk to maximal claudication pain, dissipation of pain during recovery is similar whether the preceding exercise is performed at relatively low or high intensities.