WEDNESDAY, January 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) may improve cardiovascular endurance and health status among stroke survivors, according to a study published online January 27 at the American Heart Association Journal.
Elizabeth W. Regan, Ph.D., DPT, of the University of South Carolina at Columbia, and colleagues integrated subacute and chronic stroke survivors into a CR program based on standard 12-week exercises that included three sessions per week. Twenty-nine and 24 patients started and completed the program, respectively; 18 were available for follow-up in six months. After the program, 11 participants conducted semi-structured interviews.
From the pre-program to the post-program, the researchers observed a significant impact on exercise-based CR in resistance to cardiovascular exercise, with maintenance over six months of follow-up. The average improvement in the six-minute walk test was 61.92 m and there was a median improvement of 3.6 in the maximum metabolic equivalents. From the pre-program to the post-program, the researchers observed a median improvement of 2.85 s in the sit-to-stand test five times. Additional health improvements were highlighted in qualitative results. At follow-up, 15 of the 18 participants reported continuous exercise.
“We hope that the cardiac rehabilitation prescription will be considered for all patients after a stroke, as it is for patients after a heart attack,” Regan said in a statement. “We need to value exercise as a medicine. Exercise is health and is important for each individual, regardless of physical limitations or age. Hopefully, increasing physical activity can be one of the first steps to improving overall health after a stroke. “
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