Deans' stroke musings: The Effectiveness of Active Cycling in Subacute Stroke Rehabilitation: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

The Effectiveness of Active Cycling in Subacute Stroke Rehabilitation: a Randomized Controlled Trial

I can't tell from this if they are using real bicycles or exercise bikes. If real bicycles then they are extremely high functioning to start with. I gave up on trying to bicycle several years ago because the left hand couldn't grab the handlebar properly and it took up too much mental capacity to bike more than 1/4 mile.

The Effectiveness of Active Cycling in Subacute Stroke Rehabilitation: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Christel Vanroy, PT, MSc

Correspondence information about the author PT, MSc Christel Vanroy

Email the author PT, MSc Christel Vanroy

Hilde Feys, PT, PhD

Anke Swinnen, PT, MSc

Yves Vanlandewijck, PT, PhD

Steven Truijen, MSc, PhD

Dirk Vissers, PT, PhD

Marc Michielsen, PT, MSc

Kristien Wouters, MSc, PhD

Patrick Cras, MD, PhD

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2017.02.004

Abstract

Objective

To examine the effects of 3-month aerobic training (AT) followed by coaching on aerobic capacity, strength and gait speed after subacute stroke.

Design

Randomized controlled trial

Setting

Inpatient rehabilitation center

Participants

Patients (N=59; mean age= 65.4±10.3; 21 women (36%); Barthel Index≤50= 64%) with first stroke and able to cycle at 50 revolutions/minute enrolled in the study 3-10 weeks after stroke onset.

Interventions

Patients were randomly allocated to a 3-month cycling group (ACG, n=33) and education or to a control group (CG, n=26). Afterwards, ACG was randomized into a coaching (n=15) versus non-coaching group (n=16) for nine months.

Main Outcome Measures

Aerobic capacity, isometric knee extension strength and gait ability and speed were measured before and after intervention and during follow-up at six and 12 months.

Results

A non-significant difference was found in workload (Watt_peak) (p=.078) between ACG and CG after three months. Furthermore after 3-month cycling and after nine-month coaching, all groups showed significant changes over time (p≤.027) in peak oxygen consumption (VO_2peak), Watt_peak, leg strength and gait speed. Also significant changes over time (p<.001) were found in ACG and CG in patients with walking inability at baseline.

Conclusion

No significant differences between training groups were found over time. Although our study missed objective exercise data from the training device during follow-up, the 3-month AC program combined with education sessions seemed an applicable method in subacute stroke. New long-term AT interventions should focus on coaching approaches to facilitate training after a supervised AC program.