Prolonged stance phase during walking in intermittent claudication

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.