Logo for the Journal of Rehab R&D

JRRD at a Glance

Adaptive physical activity improves mobility function and quality of life in chronic hemiparesis

Richard F. Macko, MD, et al.

Figure. Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) composite and subscores at repeated baseline testing and post-adaptive physical activity.

Access to exercise programs after stroke rehabilitation has ended is a problem. In Italy, we tested a group exercise program that can be done in community centers. Twenty older people who had had a stroke 5 years earlier entered a 2-month exercise class and did exercise homework to improve their mobility. Participants improved all mobility skills, including walking speed (by 25%), balance, and rising from a chair. These improvements increased scores on basic activities of living and stroke-specific quality of life scales. These results give promise that exercise programs can be set up in the community to help chronic stroke survivors.


Volume 45 Number 2, 2008
    Pages 323 — 328

View HTML   ¦    View PDF   ¦    Contents Vol. 45, No.2