Functional electrical stimulation improves quality of life by reducing intermittent claudication.
Study Goal
To determine if Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) combined with walking improves ischemic pain, walking distance, and quality of life in patients with intermittent claudication.
Results Summary
Walking with FES significantly reduced ischemic pain and improved quality of life compared to walking alone, with notable group-by-time interactions in pain perception.
Population
Patients diagnosed with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication (IC), with Ankle Brachial Index ranging 0.4-0.9 on at least one leg.
Effective Dosage
1 hour/day, six days/week for eight weeks (with or without FES).
Duration
Eight weeks of intervention, followed by an eight-week follow-up.
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) to the dorsiflexor and plantarflexor muscles while walking | decrease | ischemic pain | patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication (IC) | - | markedly reduced | #1 |
Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) to the dorsiflexor and plantarflexor muscles while walking | increase | quality of life (QOL) | patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication (IC) | - | enhanced | #2 |
Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) to the dorsiflexor and plantarflexor muscles while walking | decrease | Present Pain Intensity (PPI) | patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication (IC) | 27.9 points | significant group by time interactions | #3 |
OBJECTIVE: To determine if Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) would improve ischemic pain, walking distance, and quality of life of patients with intermittent claudication. DESIGN: Single blind, randomized block, two factorial design. PATIENTS: Patients diagnosed with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication (IC). Ankle Brachial Index ranged 0.4-0.9 on at least one leg. Patients were randomly assigned to experimental (FES+Walk, N=13) or control (WALK, N=14) groups. INTERVENTION: Experimental group patients received FES to the dorsiflexor and plantarflexor muscles while walking for 1h/day, six days/week for eight weeks. Control group patients received similar intervention without FES. A Follow-up period of both groups lasted eight weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures were taken at baseline (T RESULTS: Group by time interactions in PPI were significant (P<0.001) with differences of 27.9 points at T CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Walking with FES markedly reduced ischemic pain and enhanced QOL compared to just walking. FES while walking may offer an effective treatment option for the elderly with PAD and Intermittent Claudication. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NIH-NIA 1R21AG048001 https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=8748641&icde=30695377&ddparam=&ddvalue=&ddsub=&cr=1&csb=default&cs=ASC. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02384980?term=David+Embrey&rank=1.