of findings for the main comparison. Supervised exercise therapy versus home-based exercise therapy for intermittent claudication Supervised exercise therapy versus home-based exercise therapy for intermittent claudication Patient or population: patients with intermittent claudication Setting: community-based/hospital-based Intervention: supervised exercise therapy Comparison: home-based exercise therapy Anticipated absolute effects* (95% CI) Outcomes Cochrane Library Trusted evidence. Informed decisions. Better health.

SET can safely be prescribed in patients with IC because an exceedingly low all-cause complication rate was found. Routine cardiac screening before commencing SET is not required. Our results may diminish perceived uncertainties regarding safety and will possibly increase the use of SET in daily practice.

Women with IC benefit less during the first 3 months of SET and have lower absolute walking distances after 12 months of follow-up compared with men. More research is needed to determine whether gender-based IC treatment strategies are required.

Patients with IC demonstrate an altered gait pattern compared with healthy controls. The most prominent differences were a prolonged relative and absolute duration of the flat foot position during the stance phase. This adaptation may be intuitive as an augmented arterial blood flow into skeletal muscles is allowed during a prolonged relaxation phase. Therefore, not only the lack of propulsion but also a gain of relaxation may explain these gait alterations.