Does the heel-rise test explain functional capacity in venous insufficiency?

Abstract

Introduction: Individuals with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) have muscle pump dysfunction and reduced functionality. However, studies are inconsistent in proving whether a particular test can assess muscle functional capacity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether the heel-rise test (HRT) is able to explain functional capacity in patients with CVI. Materials and methods: Subjects with CVI aged between 20 and 59 years old were selected for this study. All participants were classified by means of the Clinical Anatomy Etiology Pathophysiology Classification of Chronic Venous Disease (CEAP). The HRT and the shuttle walk test (SWT) were performed. Descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation, linear models and regression variance analysis (one-way ANOVA) were used for data analysis. Significance was set at alpha ≤ 5%. Results: 79 subjects were included in the study (38.79 ± 1.34 years). The HRT was able to explain functionalcapacity only in individuals aged between 50-59 years (R2 = 0.60, p = 0.0001). The heel-rise test was not sensitive to detect differences between the CEAP classes analyzed (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The HRT was able to explain functional capacity in individuals aged between 50-59 years, and it can be applied in clinical practice for the functional evaluation of patients with CVI with mild severity in this age range.