Research
Mixed
Exercise does not improve the Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) in patients with intermittent claudication.
Do not expect your Ankle-Brachial Index (a blood pressure ratio) to change significantly with exercise. This test measures arterial blockage, which exercise does not fix. However, your ability to walk will still improve significantly despite the unchanged test score.
GoodRefutesMEDIUM confidence
Exercise did not improve the ABI (MD 0.04, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.08, 13 trials, 570 participants, moderate-quality evidence).
Why this rating
Evidence is rated 'moderate quality' with significant heterogeneity, but the finding is consistent across 13 trials.
Source
Exercise for intermittent claudication
Risha Lane et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2017
DOI 10.1002/14651858.cd000990.pub4
Meta-analysis · 32 studiesCited 820×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Structured exercise programs significantly improve maximum walking distance and pain-free walking distance in patients with intermittent claudication compared to usual care or placebo.Strong
- Exercise improves quality of life (physical and mental summary scores) in patients with intermittent claudication.Good
- Exercise does not reduce mortality or amputation rates in patients with intermittent claudication.Moderate
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