Determining Safe Participation in Aerobic Exercise Early After Stroke Through a Graded Submaximal Exercise Test.

CONCLUSION: A graded submaximal exercise test without ECG but with symptom monitoring and conservative heart rate and perceived exertion endpoints may facilitate safe exercise intensities early after stroke. Symptom-limited exercise testing with ECG is still recommended when progressing to higher-intensity exercise.
IMPACT: Concerns about cardiovascular risk are a barrier to physical therapists implementing aerobic exercise in stroke rehabilitation. This study showed that, in the absence of access to exercise testing with ECG, submaximal testing with conservative heart rate and perceived exertion endpoints and symptom monitoring can support physical therapists in the safe prescription of aerobic exercise early after stroke.
PMID: 32494824 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Physical Therapy - June 2, 2020 Category: Physiotherapy Authors: Inness E, Aqui A, Foster E, Fraser J, Danells CJ, Biasin L, Brunton K, Howe JA, Poon V, Tang A, Mansfield A, Marzolini S, Oh P, Bayley M Tags: Phys Ther Source Type: research