Article

The aim of the study was to (a) assess the feasibility of intensive treadmill
training in patients with acute ischemic stroke, (b) test whether physical
activity of the legs during training increases with time, and (c) evaluate to
what extent training sessions contribute toward the overall physical activity of
these patients. Twenty hospitalized patients with acute ischemic stroke trained
on a treadmill twice daily for 30 min for 5 days and on day 30. Physical activity
was measured as activity counts (AC) from accelerometers. A total of 196 of 224
initiated training sessions were completed. Training started 41.5+/-14 h after
symptom onset. Only nonserious adverse events occurred in 14.7% of the sessions.
An intensity of at least 50% of the individual heart rate reserve was obtained in
31% of training sessions. There was a significant increase in AC/min in the legs
during training sessions with increasing number of days, with the median AC being
133% higher on day 5 than on day 1. AC in the paretic leg during 60 min of
training constituted median 53% of the daytime AC. Early intensive treadmill
training in acute ischemic stroke patients is thus feasible and contributes
considerably toward the patients' overall physical activity.

Langue : ANGLAIS