BACKGROUND: Chronic stroke survivors are exposed to long-term disability and physical deconditioning, effects that may impact their independence and quality of life. Community-based programs optimizing the dose of exercise therapy that are simultaneously low risk and able to achieve high adherence should be identified. AIM: We tested the hypothesis that an 8-week, community-based, progressive mixed endurance-resistance exercise program at lower cardiovascular and muscular load yielded more mobility benefits than a higher-intensity program in chronic stroke survivors. DESIGN: A two-arm, parallel-group, pilot randomized, controlled clinical trial. SETTING: Hospital (recruitment); community-based adapted physical activity center (training). POPULATION: Thirty-five chronic stroke patients (mean age 68.4 +/- 10.4 years; 27 males). METHODS: Participants were randomized to a low-intensity experimental (LI-E; n = 18) or a high-intensity active control group (HI-C; n = 17). Patients in the LI-E group performed over-ground intermittent walking (weeks 1 to 8) and muscle power training with portable tools (weeks 5 to 8); patients in the HI-C group executed treadmill walking (weeks 1 to 8) and strength training with gym machines (weeks 5 to 8). Changes in mobility, assessed using the 6-Minute Walking Distance test, were the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included quality of life (Short-Form-36 Questionnaire), gait speed (10-Meter Walking Test), balance (Berg Balance Scale) and muscle performance of the lower limbs (strength and power of the quadriceps and femoral biceps). RESULTS: After 8 weeks, the 6MWD revealed more improvement for the LI-E group than the HI-C group (p = 0.009). The SF36 physical activity domain (p = 0.012) and peak power of the femoral quadriceps and biceps were also significantly improved for the LI-E group (p = 0.008 and p < 0.001, respectively) compared with the HI-C. Gait speed, balance and lower-limb strength increased in both groups; no significant differences were noted. The muscle power of the affected limb was the muscle parameter most correlated with mobility in the entire population. CONCLUSIONS: A low-intensity exercise program exhibited better results in terms of mobility, quality of life and muscle power compared with a higher-intensity program. Data need to be confirmed in a larger trial.

Full text (sometimes free) may be available at these link(s):      help

• DOI
• PubMed
• PDF locator
• publisher