Exercise Therapy in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease: Evaluating the Clinical Effectiveness of Exercise Therapy and Exploring Determinants of Improvement

The study population will comprise patients diagnosed with lower-extremity artery disease (ABI ≤0.9 and/or 20% decrease after a maximal treadmill test) suffering from intermittent claudication (Rutherford 1-3) presenting with new complaints (at least 6 months after previous revascularization) at the Vascular Center of university hospitals Leuven will be included if according to current guidelines their initial treatment should be conservative Inclusion Criteria: * age \> 17 yrs * ABI ≤0.9 and/or 20% decrease after a maximal treadmill test * intermittent claudication (Rutherford 1-3) * ability to undertake an exercise test and read and understand Dutch questionnaires Exclusion criteria * exercise test induced signs of complex arrhythmias or significant ischemia during baseline testing * other comorbidity limiting participation in the exercise group