March 6, 2003

Q I try to walk every day. I say “try” because after walking for about five minutes, I have to stop because of the unbearable pain I get in my calves. My doctor says I have claudication and has me on medicines. What about my walking? Can I continue to do it?

A Claudication also goes by the name of “peripheral vascular disease” or “peripheral artery disease.” A buildup of fat and cholesterol in the leg arteries prevents your exercising leg muscles from getting the amount of blood they need. Lactic acid, a by-product of exercise, accumulates, and it is responsible for the calf pain.

Exercise is part of the treatment of artery blockage, but your doctor has to endorse it. Blockage of leg arteries is often a sign that heart arteries are also blocked. Your doctor knows if that applies to you. Exercise teaches muscles how to extract more oxygen from blood, and that prevents the lactic acid buildup. It also supports the growth of new blood vessels. That’s called angiogenesis. In response to the lactic acid production, the body releases a substance called vascular endothelial growth factor that fosters the growth of new arteries.

A person with clogged arteries should walk at a pace that generates calf pain in three to five minutes. He or she rests until the pain leaves, then resumes walking. The ultimate goal is to walk, nonstop, for 30 or more minutes, but that takes time — six months to a year. The speed of the walk by six months should be one mile in about 20 minutes.

Walking has to be done on a regular basis—three to five times a week.

People should notice a diminution of calf pain within one month and a big difference by six months.
 

Q My elbow has hurt for more than two months. My doctor says I have medial epicondylitis, and he has told me to rest the arm and to take leave. How long does it take to get over this condition?

A Medial epicondylitis (EPee-CON-duh-LITE-us) is golfer’s elbow. You can get it without ever having had a golf club in your hand. Let one arm dangle downward with the palm facing forward.

Feel the little bony prominence at the inside of your elbow. That’s the medial epicondyle, and that’s where many ligaments and tendons of the arm muscles are attached. Overuse of the arm gives rise to the condition.

In the first three days of pain—the acute phase—ice the painful spot for 10 to 15 minutes three or four times a day. Ice squelches inflammation and the swelling brought on by inflammation. Rest. Take anti-inflammatory medicines such as the one your doctor suggested. The next stage is called the proliferative stage. The body repairs ligaments and tendons. This stage lasts from weeks to a month or more. In this stage, use heat on the elbow. It enhances the healing process.

The last stage is the functional stage. Pain has gone, but muscles, ligaments and tendons have to regain their strength through appropriate exercise. A physical therapist is the person who should determine the kind and amount of exercise. It can take several months before the elbow is ready to resume full use.
 

Q I am lifting weights in order to build a better-looking body. I think it will give me chick appeal. Is there any difference in building muscles for show rather than for strength?

A Yes, there is a difference. Determine the amount of weight you can lift only one time. That is the one-repetition maximum. For the look you desire, lift weights that are 50 percent to 75 percent of your one-repetition maximum. When you can lift that weight 20 times in succession, take a short rest and then perform two more sessions of 20 repetitions. When you can lift that much with ease, increase the amount of weight by about five pounds.

Good luck on attaining high “chick appeal.”—2002 North America Syndicate Inc.

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