Article

OBJECTIVE: To determine if 65- to 85-year-old persons who had a stroke within the
previous 3-36 months can improve functioning and quality of life during walking
rehabilitation. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study with 6-month follow-up. SETTING:
Three inpatient rehabilitation centers and one outpatient rehabilitation center.
PARTICIPANTS: A total of 147 persons who had sustained a stroke. INTERVENTION:
The multidisciplinary rehabilitation intervention consisted of inpatient (20
days) or outpatient (18 days) rehabilitation with follow-up. Rehabilitation
included walking exercises with and without body-weight support and conventional
physiotherapy. After the rehabilitation period, participants received 10-15
individual physiotherapy sessions at outpatient clinics and guidance in home
exercises. MEASUREMENTS: The 6-Minute Walking Test (6MWT), Berg Balance Scale
(BBS), Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS), Functional Status
Questionnaire (FSQ), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), WHO Quality of Life
(WHOQOL-BREF), and Sense of Coherence (SOC-13) were administered at the beginning
of rehabilitation and at 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Walking distance (6MWT)
improved by 17 +/- 51 meters (P < .001). The AMPS motor scale score improved by
0.15 +/- 0.65 logits (P = .010), the process scale score improved by 0.10 +/-
0.46 logits (P = .012), and the FSQ self-care score improved by 2.8 +/- 15.8
points (P = .039). The changes in the total (4.2 +/- 9.0), motor (3.7 +/- 8.0),
and cognitive (0.5 +/- 2.0) scores of the FIM were statistically significant (P <
.01). The BBS, WHOQOL-BREF, and SOC-13 remained unchanged.
CONCLUSIONS: Walking
distance and both self-reported and measured functioning improved during walking
rehabilitation among elderly persons who had a stroke. Maintaining or improving
functioning through rehabilitation and self-administered exercises may be
important in supporting mobility and independent living outside institutional
care.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS