Exercise has been used in the treatment of many medical conditions, including heart and lung diseases. But it can also play an important role in treating peripheral artery disease. Our latest review shows that for people with peripheral artery disease, exercise programmes may help improve walking ability and quality of life by relieving symptoms of leg pain, cramps, and fatigue that some people experience.

Peripheral artery disease is a common type of cardiovascular disease, which affects 236 million people across the world. It happens when the arteries in the legs and feet become clogged with fatty plaques through a process known as atherosclerosis.

While some people with this disease experience no symptoms, the most classic symptoms are pain, cramps, numbness, weakness or tingling that occurs in the legs during walking – known as intermittent claudication. These problems affect around 30% of people with peripheral artery disease. Intermittent claudication is more common in adults over 50, men and people who smoke.

Currently, peripheral artery disease treatments focus on managing symptoms and preventing the arteries from becoming more clogged, which will reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Medications may also be prescribed to reduce cholesterol or treat high blood pressure, which are both risk factors for developing peripheral artery disease.

Managing intermittent claudication is especially important as people who have it are at a higher risk of other cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke. On top of this, the leg pain they experience means people often cannot walk very far. This could lead to lower fitness levels and reduced quality of life. It may even cause depression, as people are no longer as independent as they’d like to be in their daily life.

But exercise programmes may offer another treatment approach for people with intermittent claudication. Evidence from our latest review shows exercise can help increase the distance patients can walk pain-free, and may reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. We also uncovered what it takes for an exercise programme to be successful.

We found that for people with intermittent claudication, a supervised, walking-based exercise programme is most likely to improve their symptoms. This programme should ideally be done at least three times per week for a minimum of three months. Patients should try to walk at a challenging pace (meaning it causes them to experience strong leg pain) for three to five minutes before resting until the pain goes away. The walk-rest pattern should be repeated for about 30 to 60 minutes.

This type of exercise programme was shown to significantly improve claudication symptoms, as indicated by an increase in the distance a person can walk without pain. It also increases quality of life and overall fitness levels.

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John Mathews
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Current Trends in Cardiology
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