A study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, showed that walking three times a week, even in an unsupervised exercise program, can significantly improve walking ability and slow progression of peripheral artery disease.
Peripheral artery disease often causes leg pain because of impaired blood flow in the arteries.

The study of 417 men and women, conducted by researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, indicates that those who walked for exercise three or more times per week had a significantly smaller average annual decline in walking distance and speed than those who walked one to two times per week.

The study was led by Mary McGrae McDermott, at the Feinberg School.

The researchers also found that only a small proportion of African-American study participants walked for exercise three or more times per week. Previous studies have shown that African-American patients with peripheral artery disease have greater functional impairment than white patients. Additionally, the prevalence of peripheral artery disease is higher in African-Americans than in white patients.

" Data from the study suggest that doctors should take steps to encourage African-American individuals to increase their frequency of walking exercise," McDermott said.

Approximately 20 percent of the elderly have peripheral artery disease.
Research has shown that peripheral artery disease tends to worsen over time, but participation in regular physical rehabilitation programs that include supervised treadmill walking at least three times a week has been shown to improve walking performance and slow the progression of the disease.

However, many patients with peripheral artery disease have difficulty attending a supervised exercise program because of cost or transportation problems.

Results of the Northwestern study suggest that unsupervised walking exercise, such as that performed at home, also slows progression of peripheral artery disease.

The researchers tested participants' physical ability by measuring the distance they could walk in 6 minutes and by observing their ability to get up from a chair unassisted; how well they maintained balance in a standing position; and how fast they could walk over a short distance.

The researchers also asked participants how often they walked for exercise and how long each walking session lasted. Besides showing that self-directed walking for exercise at least three times a week slowed decline in ability to perform physical activities, the study found that participants with the worst peripheral artery disease at the start of the study were the ones most likely to benefit from a regular self-directed walking program.

Source: Northwestern University, 2006


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