Medically supervised exercise therapy (SET) is widely-recognized as an appropriate intervention to alleviate claudication symptoms in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). It is important that intervention for this patient population also include secondary prevention of cardiac risk factors, including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes, among others.
As such, a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program, whose primary goal is increased functional capacity, is the perfect setting to offer SET for PAD. While the risk factors of PAD patients are similar to the “typical” cardiac rehab patient, the assessment, treatment, outcomes and goals may vary.
To learn more about exercise treatment for PAD patients, click here.