Walking Is Good for Blocked Leg Arteries

“Anyone looking for proof that a planned program of walking is good for people with the leg blood-vessel blockage called peripheral arterial disease (PAD) should check the results of a new U.S. government-funded study. The study of 156 people with PAD -- many of whom didn't have the pain that is the classic symptom of artery blockage -- showed that regular six-minute walks on a treadmill improved their endurance and quality of life. While walking is a standard recommendation for people with PAD, the study was different in two ways, said study lead author Dr. Mary M. McDermott, an associate professor of medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. ‘All prior studies have focused on patients with intermittent claudicating -- the symptom of PAD,’ McDermott said. ‘Some of the patients in this study were asymptomatic. Also, we included testing of leg strength. This is the largest trial to do so.’ The findings were published in the Jan. 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Over the six months of the study, the participants who did their regular six-minute treadmill walks increased their walking distance by about 69 feet, while those who did not walk regularly saw a decrease of 49 feet. Whatever the reason for improvement seen in the new study, McDermott said, ‘clinicians should urge all PAD patients, whether or not they have symptoms, to engage in a regular, supervised exercise program.’ A recommended regimen is a 40-minute walk three times a week for at least six months, McDermott said. The walking can be done on a treadmill or a sidewalk, but it is best done with a trainer standing by, she said. ‘You need a trainer, because if you start to get symptoms, you can stop and then start again until you have done the 40 minutes,’ she said.”

http://www.forbes.com/health/feeds/hscout/2009/01/13/hscout623034.html