Upright activity within the first week after stroke is associated with better functional outcome and health-related quality of life: A Norwegian multi-site study

Impossible to tell if this is a valid conclusion at all. Nothing mentioned about what the objective damage diagnosis was - location and size.  If you can get patients out of bed early then they probably had a less damaging stroke. Damn these people don't understand cause and effect at all.
 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26843147

Hokstad A¹, Indredavik B, Bernhardt J, Langhammer B, Gunnes M, Lundemo C, Bovim MR, Askim T.

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To assess the amount of early upright activity of patients managed in Norwegian stroke units and its association with functional outcome and health-related quality of life 3 months later.

DESIGN:

A prospective observational multi-centre study.

SUBJECTS:

A total of 390 acute stroke patients, mean age 76.8 years, 48.1% men, less than14 days post-stroke, recruited from 11 Norwegian stroke units.

METHODS:

Time spent in different activity categories (in bed, sitting out of bed, upright) was observed with a standard method. Outcome was assessed by modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and health-related quality of life by EuroQol-5 Dimension 5 level (EQ-5D-5L) 3 months later. Ordinal logistic and linear regression analyses were used to examine the association between activity categories and mRS and EQ-5D-5L, respectively. Age, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, premorbid mRS, sex, and hospital-site were added as covariates.

RESULTS:

The odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) for poorer functional outcome (higher mRS) decreased as time spent in upright activities increased (OR 0.97 (95% CI 0.94-1.00)). There was also a significant positive association between time in upright activity and higher EQ-5D-5L, Beta 0.184 (95% CI 0.001- 0.008) 3 months later.

CONCLUSION:

This study confirms the beneficial effect of upright activity applied during hospital stay in Norwegian stroke units.