Exercise in claudicants increase or decrease walking ability and the response relates to mitochondrial function.

Background: Exercise of patients with intermittent claudication improves walking performance. Exercise does not usually increase blood flow, but seems to increase muscle mitochondrial enzyme activities. Although exercise is beneficial in most patients, it might be harmful in some.

Calf raise exercise increases walking performance in patients with intermittent claudication.

Background: Symptoms of intermittent claudication (IC) are improved by exercise. The improvement might be secondary to increased blood perfusion or increased muscle mitochondrial capacity. Ischemia followed by reperfusion, also named preconditioning, is known to stimulate the mitochondria.

Mitochondrial Respiration after One Session of Calf Raise Exercise in Patients with Peripheral Vascular Disease and Healthy Older Adults.

Purpose: Mitochondria are essential for energy production in the muscle cell and for this they are dependent upon a sufficient supply of oxygen by the circulation. Exercise training has shown to be a potent stimulus for physiological adaptations and mitochondria play a central role. Whether changes in mitochondrial respiration are seen after exercise in patients with a reduced circulation is unknown.