The Energy Cost of Steady State Physical Activity in Acute Stroke

Cardiorespiratory fitness levels are very low after stroke, indicating that the majority of stroke survivors are unable to independently perform daily activities. Physical fitness training improves exercise capacity poststroke; however, the optimal timing and intensity of training is unclear. Understanding the energy cost of steady-state activity is necessary to guide training prescription early poststroke. We aimed to determine if acute stroke survivors can reach steady state (oxygen-uptake variability ≤2.0 mL O2/kg/min) during physical activity and if the energy cost of steady state activity differs from healthy controls.

Source: Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases - December 8, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Sharon Flora Kramer, Toby Cumming, Julie Bernhardt, Liam Johnson Source Type: research