Abstract
Purpose: The effects of upper-limb (arm cranking) and lower-limb (leg cranking) exercise training on walking distances in patients with intermittent claudication was assessed. Methods: Sixty-seven patients (33 to 82 years old) with moderate to severe intermittent claudication were recruited, and the maximum power generated during incremental upper- and lower-limb ergometry tests was determined, as were pain-free and maximum walking distances (by using a shuttle walk test). Patients were randomly assigned to an upper-limb training group (n = 26) or a lower-limb training group (n = 26). An additional untrained group (n = 15) was recruited on an ad hoc basis in parallel with the main trial by using identical inclusion criteria. This group was subsequently shown to possess a similar demographic distribution to the two exercise groups. Supervised training sessions were held twice weekly for 6 weeks. Results: Both training programs significantly improved the maximum power generated during the incremental upper- and lower-limb ergometry tests (P <.001), which may reflect an increase in central cardiovascular function that was independent of the training mode. More importantly, pain-free and maximum walking distances also improved in both training groups (P <.001). The improvements in the training groups were similar; there were no changes in the untrained control group. These findings suggest that the symptomatic improvement after upper-limb exercise training may result, in part, from systemic cardiovascular effects rather than localized metabolic or hemodynamic changes. Conclusion: Carefully prescribed upper-limb exercise training can evoke a rapid symptomatic improvement in patients with claudication, while avoiding the physical discomfort experienced when performing lower-limb weight-bearing exercise.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 662-669 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Vascular Surgery |
Volume | 31 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2000 |