Studies Show Benefits of Exercise For People With Peripheral Artery Disease

The study also showed that walking at a slow pace that does not cause ischemic leg symptoms is less effective than not exercising at all.

This randomized trial improved walking ability in people with peripheral arterial disease when the home walking exercise program exercised at high intensity to induce ischemic lower limb symptoms, but ischemic leg symptoms.

Dr. Mary McDermott, Ph.D., Senior Researcher at Northwestern University School of Medicine, Feinberg, said:

“It will decrease over time, and eventually most people will be able to walk further without discomfort,” McDermott added.

Previous studies by McDermott have suggested that pain during exercise interferes with the gait of many people with PAD.

Although this study did not identify biological changes that lead to improved gait, previous studies have identified specific biological pathways in which intensive exercise promotes improved mitochondrial activity, the source of chemical energy for cells. It has been shown to stimulate the body, McDermott said.

“Perhaps for people with PAD, this exercise promotes the growth of new small blood vessels into the muscles,” McDermott said.

About 8.5 million people in the United States and about 250 million people worldwide suffer from lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD). People with PAD have arterial obstructions that slow or stop blood flow to the legs. As a result, they are painful and difficult to walk even over short distances. It is comparable to angina in people with symptomatological heart disease. There are few cures to cure it.

The first month consisted of weekly face-to-face visits with the coach. These sessions help participants learn the difference between walking at high and low intensity, learn how to use the technology used to monitor exercise intensity at home, and exercise activity. Helped to get started. The program then consisted of remote monitoring by telephone and coach.

According to McDermott, the remote monitoring aspect is important. Although the supervised exercise is covered by Medicare and other insurance companies, most people in PAD participate in the supervised exercise due to the burden of moving to a medical center three times a week for participation. No.

In this study, 305 people with peripheral arterial disease at four medical centers were randomized to a control group that received high-intensity exercise, low-intensity exercise, or non-exercise calls.

Those randomized to exercise intervention were asked to walk up to 50 minutes per session, 5 days a week. High-intensity individuals were required to walk fast enough to induce ischemic leg symptoms during exercise. People who were randomly randomized to low intensity were asked to walk at a comfortable pace that did not induce ischemic lower extremity symptoms.

Intensity was monitored remotely using the ActiGraph Activity Monitor worn by participants during exercise. These data were uploaded to the research website and viewed by the research coach. The 6-minute walk, treadmill test, and patient-reported results were measured at baseline and at 12-month follow-up.

Patients who participated in high-intensity gait exercise significantly improved the distance they could walk in 6 minutes compared to either the low-intensity group or the control group. The high-intensity exercise group also significantly improved the length of time they could walk on the treadmill at the end of the study compared to each of the other two groups.

“Patients with PAD should be advised to walk for exercise at a pace that induces ischemic lower extremity symptoms for benefit,” McDermott said.

“Exercise is the most effective non-invasive treatment for improving gait in patients with PAD,” McDermott added.

The next step in the study is to determine the biological explanation for the discovery that lower limb ischemia may be required to benefit from gait in patients with PAD.

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