BACKGROUND: Information on the degree of correlation between muscular strength and functional capacity in subjects with peripheral obstructive arterial disease (POAD) is inconsistent and the available studies use protocols that do not adequately correlate measurements of muscular strength with performance. OBJECTIVE: to correlate muscular strength and functional capacity in physically active subjects with POAD. METHODS: Twelve subjects with PAOD and intermittent claudication were enrolled in the study. All subjects performed muscular strength and walking tests. Pearson's correlation was used to determine the level of association between these variables. RESULTS: Twelve subjects, 10 males and 2 females, were included in the study. The mean age was 63 ± 11 years. There was a strong correlation (r = 0.872; p = 0.0001) between the distance walked in the shuttle walk test (SWT) and the maximum load at the maximum strength test. However, there was no correlation between the distance reached in the SWT and the time spent to carry out five plantar flexions in the tiptoe test. CONCLUSION: The functional performance of a group of individuals with PAOD - most of them physically active - was strongly correlated with knee extension muscular strength, but not with performance observed at the tiptoe test. Further studies must be carried out to assess whether the muscle strength of plantar flexion, measured specifically and separately, is correlated with function in PAOD patients.
Intermittent claudication; muscle strength; ischemia
