Treatment with pharmacological agents in peripheral arterial disease patients does not result in biomechanical gait changes.
Pharmacological treatment has been used to alleviate the claudication symptoms and improve walking performance in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients. However, the effects of claudication treatments on gait mechanics have not been objectively identified with biomechanical techniques. For this study, 20 PAD patients were assigned to take either pentoxifylline (n=11) or cilostazol (n=9), the two FDA-approved pharmacological therapies used to treat intermittent claudication symptoms. All patients completed a gait evaluation protocol that involved the acquisition of kinematic and kinetic gait data before use of the medication and after 12 weeks of treatment. Results showed that treatment with either pentoxifylline or cilostazol resulted in limited overall improvement in gait parameters including joint angles and joint moments. Walking speed was unchanged, in either treatment group, as a result of the medication. These results suggest that to improve biomechanical walking parameters of PAD patients, clinicians cannot rely on drug therapies alone.
Huisinga
Jessie M
JM
Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facility, Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA.
Pipinos
Iraklis I
II
Stergiou
Nicholas
N
Johanning
Jason M
JM
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D000077407:Cilostazol; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010431:Pentoxifylline / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013777:Tetrazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D013777:Tetrazoles; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D000077407:Cilostazol; D010431:Pentoxifylline