European Journal of Preventive Cardiology · Feb 9, 2026
Effect of a home-based calf neuromuscular electrical stimulation program on walking capacity in adults with lower-extremity PAD: the ELECTRO-PAD RCT
By Le Faucheur A, Chanteau A, Jéhannin P et al.
AIM: To evaluate whether a 3-month home-based neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) program improved maximal walking distance (MWD) in patients with lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) compared with usual care. METHODS: This multicenter randomized clinical trial included 73 adults with PAD and walking impairment from five French university hospitals between September 2019 and July 2022, with final follow-up in November 2022. Participants were randomized to a NMES group (n = 34) or a usual care group (n = 39) for 3 months. Both groups received standard medical management and lifestyle advice; the NMES group performed calf NMES sessions at home for 2-3 hours/day, 5 days/week. The primary outcome was the 3-month change in treadmill MWD. Secondary outcomes included change in 6-minute total walking distance. RESULTS: Of the 73 randomized participants (mean [SD] age, 62.8 [9.2] years; 14 [19.2%] women), 64 (88%) completed the 3-month follow-up. Mean treadmill MWD increased from 148.5 m at baseline to 254.1 m at 3 months in the NMES group and from 142.5 m to 175.8 m in the usual care group (between-group difference, 69.9 m [95% CI, 10.8-129.0 m]; P = .02). The 6-minute total walking distance improved from 371.0 m to 405.4 m with NMES and from 342.5 m to 348.8 m with usual care (between-group difference, 29.6 m [95% CI, 5.1-54.1 m]; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with PAD and walking impairment, a 3-month home-based calf NMES program significantly improved walking capacity. Further studies are needed to assess long-term effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03795103.