26 Sept 2023 • Supervised treadmill exercise is first-line therapy for walking impairment among people with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD). However, traveling to a center for supervised exercise is burdensome and most people with PAD do not participate. A recent study published in JAMA Cardiology evaluated a crucial question: Is home-based walking exercise associated with greater improvement in 6-minute walk (6MW) distance compared with supervised treadmill exercise?

• This study, an individual participant data meta-analysis comprising 719 individuals with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD), sought to compare the efficacy of home-based walking exercise versus supervised treadmill exercise in improving walking capacity.
• The findings indicate that home-based walking exercise led to a notably greater enhancement in 6-minute walk (6MW) distance, demonstrating a 23.8-meter improvement compared to supervised treadmill exercise. However, it's worth noting that home-based exercise resulted in a significantly reduced improvement in maximal treadmill walking distance in contrast to supervised exercise.
• These results suggest that home-based walking exercise may be a more favorable approach for enhancing 6MW distance in individuals with PAD, supporting its consideration as a primary therapy for addressing walking limitations in this patient population.

In conclusion, these findings suggest that compared with supervised treadmill exercise, home-based walking exercise was associated with greater improvement in 6MW distance but not treadmill walking distance, in people with PAD.

Source: JAMA Cardiology | Read full story