Supervised Walking Exercise Therapy Improves Gait Biomechanics in Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is commonly caused by atherosclerotic build-up of plaque within the peripheral arteries, affecting the blood flow to the legs. The most common presentation of PAD is intermittent claudication; a condition in which when the patient walks the metabolic demands of the lower limbs exceed the limited supply of blood, causing exercise- induced discomfort and decreased walking ability. Walking exercise is the first line of treatment in patients with claudication with the best results achieved in patients undergoing supervised exercise therapy for at least three months. Supervised walking exercise results in increased maximum walking distances comparable to those seen following surgical revascularization. We tested the hypothesis that supervised exercise training of PAD patients with claudication improves walking distances in association with improved gait biomechanics. Our research involved 47 patients going through a twenty-four week (three sessions per week), supervised walking exercise therapy program. Each session included a 5 minute warm-up, 50 minutes of treadmill exercise, and 5 minutes of cool down. Patients underwent gait analysis before and immediately following exercise therapy. Our hypothesis was partially supported. Both walking distances and several, but not all, gait biomechanics variables significantly improved following supervised walking exercise therapy