A primary care walking exercise program for patients with intermittent claudication.2001

M. Wullink, H.E.J.H. Stoffers*, H. Kuipers

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Med Sci Sports Exerc 2001 Oct;33(10):1629-34 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut


A primary care walking exercise program for patients with intermittent claudication.

Wullink M, Stoffers HE, Kuipers H.

Department of Movement Sciences and Department of General Practice, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

PURPOSE: In a pilot study, the hypothesis was tested that a home-based walking exercise program with structured coaching would improve walking performance and adherence in patients with intermittent claudication (IC). METHODS: Thirty-one IC patients with a rest ankle-brachial pressure index < 0.90 started a 24-wk walking program in the home environment. They were coached according to the Health Counseling Model (HCM). Patients were instructed to walk at least 9 bouts.wk-1 and to walk through the pain. The main effect measures were pain-free (initial claudication distance (ICD)) and maximum walking distance (absolute claudication distance (ACD)) measured with a graded treadmill test, a corridor exercise test, a walking-diary, and the score on the Walking Impairment Questionnaire (WIQ). RESULTS: Twenty-four participants completed the program. The reported walking frequency was 7.4 times.wk-1. The average ICD improved from 289 m (95% CI, 209-369) to 347 m (95% CI, 244-449) (P < 0.05) and from 241 m (95% CI, 171-310) to 373 m (95% CI, 273-472) on the treadmill and the corridor test, respectively. The average ACD improved from 490 m (95% CI, 397-583) to 544 m (95% CI, 438-650) and from 564 m (95% CI, 412-717) to 726 m (95% CI, 546-906) (P < 0.01) on the treadmill and the corridor test, respectively. The average maximum distance reported in the walking-diary improved from 957 m (95% CI, 291-1623) to 1294 m (95% CI, 646-1941). The score of the walking distance on the WIQ improved from 57% (95% CI, 42-71%) to 60% (95% CI, 46-74%). CONCLUSION: IC patients improved their average ICD and ACD. The walking exercise program in the home environment with coaching according to the HCM seems a promising intervention to be tested in a randomized controlled trial.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1629-1634
Number of pages6
JournalMedicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
Volume33
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2001

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