As part of our comprehensive team approach to heart and vascular care, our heart and vascular team offers an innovative Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Rehabilitation Program. This nonsurgical treatment program helps improve quality of life for patients diagnosed with or at risk for PAD.
To reach our team in Cardiac Rehabilitation, please call 920-320-3565.
Who Can Benefit from PAD Rehabilitation?
PAD rehabilitation is beneficial for those patients who have been diagnosed with PAD. Risk factors for PAD include:
- History of smoking
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Abnormal cholesterol levels
- History of heart disease, heart attack or stroke
While early signs may be mild or absent, PAD is often associated with leg pain when you walk, climb stairs or exercise, or feet or legs that are cool compared to your other limbs.
If you believe you may have or that you are at risk for PAD, a simple noninvasive screening can be used for diagnosis.
What’s Involved in Peripheral Artery Disease Rehabilitation?
A referral from your physician is required to enroll in the three-month PAD Rehabilitation Program. The program features one-on-one instruction and guidance from our cardiovascular rehabilitation care team, including exercise physiologists and nurses.
To begin, you will meet one-on-one with an exercise physiologist to establish goals and evaluate exercise capabilities. At our on-site, medically supervised exercise facility, you will learn proper exercise techniques that will enable you to safely continue your exercise program at home. While the program is individualized, participants generally have upwards of three to five on-site, hour-long sessions each week. Exercise physiologists will work closely with you throughout the program to discuss your personal risk factors and assess exercise progression. Upon completion of the program, a final evaluation of your progress will be presented to you and your physician.
Program Goals
The PAD Rehabilitation Program is designed to help improve your walking ability and decrease leg pain and discomfort. Through lifestyle modification coaching, you will learn how to reduce your heart and vascular disease risk and improve your quality of life.
