Supervised exercise therapy (SET) represents treadmill walking delivered by exercise physiologists or other personnel with dedicated training in exercise therapy. SET is delivered 3 times per week for at least 12 weeks. After intake, the initial session ideally begins with 15 minutes of supervised exercise. However, the individual patient’s symptoms and capabilities often dictate exercise duration in the initial session. Thereafter, the sessional duration extends to 45-50 minutes as patient endurance improves. The patient is instructed to walk until the discomfort reaches a moderate level (“4” on the claudication rating scale), stop and rest until the discomfort subsides completely, and then start walking again. The features of a supervised exercise program are summarized in Figure 1.
