The Effects of Claudication Severity on Functional Outcomes
-
- STATUS
- Recruiting
-
- End date
- Jan 13, 2025
-
- participants needed
- 51
-
- sponsor
- University of Central Lancashire
Summary
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects over 236 million people globally. A classic symptom of PAD is intermittent claudication (IC) which is associated with reductions in physical function. The evidence is irrefutable that supervised exercise programmes (SEP) improve pain free and maximal waking distance. However, adherence rates are poor with exercise-related pain cited as contributable factor. Exercise at mild claudication or pain- free exercise improves walking ability, however current guidelines recommend exercise should be performed to near maximal claudication to improve walking ability. Conflicting evidence exists and there is a lack of evidence that has directly compared the relative effects of exercise prescribed at different levels of claudication. Therefore, the primary objective is to directly compare the effects of exercise prescribed at different levels of claudication pain on functional outcomes
Description
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a progressive disease and is characterised by atherosclerotic occlusion of the arteries in the lower limbs, resulting in a reduction of blow flow. Globally, it is estimated that 236 million people are living with PAD, with the number of cases increasing by 24% from 2000 to 2010 (Song et al., 2019). A classic symptom of PAD is intermittent claudication (IC), which is characterised by ischemic muscle pain precipitated by exertion and relieved by rest. IC is associated with various comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia as well as reductions in physical function, quality of life, and balance. National and international guidelines recommend exercise therapy as first line treatment for patients with IC, advocating two hours per week of a supervised exercise over a three-month period, with patients being encouraged to exercise to the point of maximal pain. Exercise therapy is also a cost-effective option, as a three month programme costs less than a tenth of the cost of angioplasty.
However, despite the plethora of evidence demonstrating the benefits of SEP, less than half of vascular units in the United Kingdom (UK) have access one and patient uptake rates low. A lack of motivation has been shown as one of the primary reasons for poor adherence with claudication pain being suggested as a contributable factor. Indeed, exercise-induced pain has been shown as a major barrier to physical activity in this population and the level of pain prescribed during SEP influences completion rates. When exercise is prescribed at higher levels of pain, completion rates are lower. However, current evidence and guidelines advocate exercising to the point of near maximal pain, despite evidence to the contrary, suggesting that mild- or pain-free exercise improves walking ability. As such, it remains unclear which level of claudication is optimal for improving functional outcomes in patients with IC which can affect patient adherence, clinical practice and exercise prescription. The lack of adequately powered, randomised clinical trials investigating the effects of exercise prescribed at differing levels of claudication pain has also been highlighted in a recent scientific statement from the American Heart Association
Details
| Condition | Claudication, Intermittent Claudication |
|---|---|
| Treatment | Pain Free Exercise (PF), Moderate Claudication Pain Exercise (MOD-P), Maximal Claudication Pain Exercise (MAX-P) |
| Clinical Study Identifier | NCT04370327 |
| Sponsor | University of Central Lancashire |
| Last Modified on | 13 August 2021 |
How to participate?
,
You have contacted , on
Your message has been sent to the study team at ,
What happens next?
- You can expect the study team to contact you via email or phone in the next few days.
- Sign up as volunteer to help accelerate the development of new treatments and to get notified about similar trials.
You are contacting
Primary Contact
Additional screening procedures may be conducted by the study team before you can be confirmed eligible to participate.
Learn moreIf you are confirmed eligible after full screening, you will be required to understand and sign the informed consent if you decide to enroll in the study. Once enrolled you may be asked to make scheduled visits over a period of time.
Learn moreComplete your scheduled study participation activities and then you are done. You may receive summary of study results if provided by the sponsor.
Learn moreSimilar trials to consider
Not finding what you're looking for?
Sign up as a volunteer to stay informed
Every year hundreds of thousands of volunteers step forward to participate in research. Sign up as a volunteer and receive email notifications when clinical trials are posted in the medical category of interest to you.
Sign up as volunteer