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Leg stretches may reduce pain in patients with PAD
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Patients with peripheral artery disease who stretched before walking experienced decreased pain, according to an abstract presented at the American Heart Association’s Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology/Peripheral Vascular Disease Scientific Sessions.
“This is a very safe, easy intervention that can be done at home and has the potential to really improve your tolerance for walking and get you into a walking program,” Judy M. Muller-Delp, PhD, professor of biomedical sciences at the Florida State University College of Medicine in Tallahassee, said in a press release.
Researchers assessed blood flow and walking ability in 13 patients (mean age, 71 years; seven men) with PAD. Patients stretched each leg for a half-hour 5 days per week for 4 weeks, then stopped stretching for 4 weeks. Most patients were taking antiplatelet medications and a statin.
After 4 weeks of stretching, compared with the period after 4 weeks of not stretching, patients’ 6-minute walking distance (355 ± 32 m vs. 311 ± 31 m; P = .007) and flow-mediated dilation (5.2 ± 0.6% vs. 3.7 ± 0.4%; P = .003) improved. Researchers did not observe a difference in nitroglycerin-induced dilation between stretching (10.9 ± 1.4%) and no stretching (9.9 ± 1.1%; P = .54).
Percentage change in flow-mediated dilation was linked to percentage change in walking distance (P = .03).
“There is no doubt about the benefits of exercise training on blood vessel health in PAD patients,” Kazuki Hotta, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in engineering science at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo, said in the release. “If you have limited walking ability, I recommend that you at least perform muscle stretches so you can gain enough comfort and confidence in walking to participate in a walking exercise program.” – by Darlene Dobkowski
Reference:
Hotta K, et al. Presentation 319. Presented at: American Heart Association’s Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology | Peripheral Vascular Disease Scientific Sessions; May 4-6, 2017; Minneapolis.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.