Peripheral artery disease (PAD) causes impairments in walking capacity and is associated with a higher cardiovascular risk than other atherosclerotic diseases, such as coronary or cerebrovascular diseases. This risk is related to the presence of hypertension, a condition affecting > 80% of patients and has been considered one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, interventions aimed at improving walking capacity and reducing blood pressure (BP) levels have been recommended for patients with symptomatic PAD. Although walking exercise training (WT) has demonstrated the ability to improve walking capacity as well as reduce resting BP, pain during walking has been consistently reported as a main barrier to participation in physical activities. Arm crank training (ACT) has been suggested as a pain-free pleasurable exercise alternative, since a study observed that patients with symptomatic PAD reported experiencing pleasurable feelings during this type of exercise. Research has demonstrated that ACT enhances walking capacity and diminishes resting BP among these patients. On the contrary, the effects of ACT on ambulatory BP, a stronger predictor of mortality and target-organ damage, have not been explored. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the effects of ACT on ambulatory BP parameters in patients with symptomatic PAD.
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