To assess the impact on quality of life and clinical outcomes for PTS patients undertaking a smart-phone app based 12 week exercise programme.
Ethical approval was granted by the Westminster Research Ethics Committee in London. Patients eligible for deep venous surgery were recruited from the vascular outpatient department at a tertiary centre. Patients were offered, as part of a larger study, a 12-week smartphone app-based exercise programme designed by a physiotherapist. Primary outcome measures were Villalta score, six-minute walk distance (6MWT), and VEINES-QOL/Sym score. Patients were assessed and grouped according to ability: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. They undertook 2x 30-minute lower limb strength and flexibility sessions per week and 3x 30-minutes brisk walking sessions.
A total of 15 patients (46.7% female) with a median age of 44 (IQR 37.0-49.5) were recruited. Two patients were lost to follow-up. There were statistically significant improvements in all outcome measures. Mean 6MWT improved from 374.9 meters (SD 94.7 m) to 439.0 (112.9 m). Mean difference was 64.2 m (95%CI [24.4-103.9] p = 0.00425*).
VEINES-QOL/Sym was 64 (SD 13.9) prior to intervention and 74 (SD 14.7) after, p = 0.010*.
Prior to exercise the mean Villalta score was 12.6 (SD 7.6) and improved to 7.1 (SD 3.2) p = 0.030*. Moving patients from moderate to mild PTS scores.
A 12-week exercise programme was able to demonstrate statistically significant improvements in clinical and quality of life outcomes in this small sample of patients with PTS. Given that alternatives to surgical interventions are limited, these positive outcomes may be a useful avenue for further research.
This study suggests that exercise may be an effective intervention. Delivered via a smart phone app it also has the potential to reduce costs, surgical waiting times and appointment burden for this patient group This may be a suitable alternative or temporising measure for patients awaiting deep venous stent surgery.
Venous Disease
Quality of Life
