Plantar flexion as an alternative to treadmill exercise for evaluating patients with intermittent claudication.

摘要

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine whether the plantar flexion test could adequately replace treadmill testing in patients who were unable to exercise. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. PATIENTS: Twenty-seven patients with intermittent claudication secondary to peripheral arterial disease (PAD). METHODS: Patients performed two treadmill tests and two plantar flexion tests. Ankle pressure, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) data, heart rate and blood pressures were monitored along with pain-free and maximum walking distances for treadmill, pain-free and maximum exercise time for plantar flexion. RESULTS: Maximum exercise time and walking distance were well correlated (R=0.74). Eleven patients (41%) developed non-claudicating symptoms during the treadmill test but not during the flexion test. Rate pressure product was significantly higher after the treadmill but not after the plantar flexion. CONCLUSIONS: Plantar flexion test showed good reliability and correlation. Plantar flexion mayserve as an alternative to treadmill testing in evaluating muscle pain in patients with intermittent claudication.