Emplify Health by Gundersen's PAD program gets patients moving again

Emplify Health by Gundersen's PAD program gets patients moving again

Not long ago, the pain in Dick Hawes' legs was so bad, he wasn't able to comfortably move around his farm near Alma, Wis. They'd been cramping up for some time, and he could only walk a few feet before needing to take a break to let the pain subside.

Just up the road from Hawes in Nelson, Wis., Mary Ann Patraw was experiencing similar discomfort. For the past six months, she was in pain from waist to toes. She, too, remembers taking frequent breaks between tasks because her legs hurt so bad.

Both had decided that they needed to seek help. For Dick, a visit to his doctor revealed complete blockages in both arteries in his waist. Meanwhile, Mary Ann was diagnosed with peripheral artery disease. Dick had bypass surgery in the past, with relative success, while Mary Ann was told that physical therapy wouldn't ease her pain.

Those conclusions are what led them both to the supervised exercise therapy for peripheral artery disease (SET-PAD) program at Emplify Health by Gundersen Wabasha Hospital. They enrolled in the 36-session program that's three days a week for 12 weeks. SET-PAD has been covered by Medicare since 2018.

According to Carla Theusch, the manager of Rehabilitation Services at Emplify Health by Gundersen Wabasha, the program is for patients who have cramping in their legs, typically in the lower calf region, so much so that the pain nearly halts you in your tracks. A person typically has to take a break until the pain passes, which is usually in a minute or two.

At each session, patients warm up for five minutes in a seated position, then transition to a treadmill using a standard protocol for PAD patients. It includes a fairly difficult incline and set speed and progresses based on the protocol standards.

"We walk patients as tolerated, and it's individualized, until they get that cramping that makes them stop," Theusch says.

The patient is assessed during recovery time until they can start again, and the goal is to walk for eight minutes at a certain incline and speed before moving on to the next session - which includes an increase in incline and/or speed.

"Walking is the best medicine for peripheral artery disease," Theusch says. "There are surgical interventions and some medications, but really, walking, specifically, is the best medicine."

And it's a medicine Dick and Mary Ann prescribe to. They've both since completed the program, and both report a night-and-day difference from how the felt when they began. Dick's happy he can move around the farm again, and Mary Ann appreciates doing housework unimpeded.

"Now I'm walking fine," Mary Ann says. "The other day, I cleaned out a couple closets. It felt good not to have pain so I could do that."

"I can't say enough about them," Dick adds.

Patients can start the program whenever is necessary - no need to wait for a cohort to begin - and it's open to all ages. Theusch says seeing a primary care provider is the best place to start when symptoms arise.

For more information or to sign up for the PAD program, call (651) 565-5519.