THE EFFECT OF CLAUDICATION PAIN ON GAIT CHARACTERISTICS IN SUBJECTS WITH PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL DISEASE

Abstract

PURPOSE: To determine whether claudication pain alters temporal and spatial gait characteristics at preferred and rapid self-selected walking paces in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) subjects. METHODS: Twenty-eight PAD subjects with intermittent claudication (age = 71 ± 1; mean ± SEM) performed walking trials under pain-free and pain conditions over a 24-foot distance. Gait parameters consisting of velocity, cadence, stride length, swing time, stance time, single-stance time, and double-stance time were recorded at both walking paces for each condition. The order of the pain-free and pain walking conditions was randomized. RESULTS: At the preferred walking pace, velocity was similar (p > 0.05) between the pain-free and claudication pain walking conditions (99.9 ± 3.3 vs. 104.0 ± 3.3 cm/sec). Similar results were also found betweent the pain-free and pain conditions (p > 0.05) for cadence (99.9 ± 1.7 vs. 103.9 ± 1.6 steps/min), stride length (119.8 ± 2.8 vs. 119.9 ± 2.9 cm/stride), and the percentage of the gait cycle spent in the swing phase (34.7 ± 0.3 vs. 34.9 ± 0.3%), stance phase (65.3 ± 0.3 vs. 65.1 ± 0.3%), single-stance phase (33.9 ± 0.4 vs. 33.8 ± 0.4%), and double-stance phase (31.8 ± 0.7 vs. 31.8 ± 0.7%). At the rapid walking pace, no differences between pain-free and pain walking conditions (p > 0.05) were noted for the gait parameters as well. CONCLUSION: Temporal and spatial gait abnormalities of PAD subjects are not further exacerbated by intermittent claudication leg pain during either preferred or rapid self-selected ambulatory paces.