Does cardiovascular exercise improve peak oxygen uptake and walking distance in stroke survivors during sub-acute stages?
Cardiovascular exercise should be considered in sub-acute stroke rehabilitation to improve aerobic capacity and walking distance.
This meta-analysis shows that stroke survivors may benefit from cardiovascular exercise during sub-acute stages to improve peak oxygen uptake and walking distance. Thus, cardiovascular exercise should be considered in sub-acute stroke rehabilitation. However, concepts to influence and evaluate aerobic capacity in severely affected individuals with sub-acute stroke, as well as in the very early period after stroke, are lacking.Further research is needed to develop appropriate methods for cardiovascular rehabilitation early after stroke and to evaluate long-term effects of cardiovascular exercise on aerobic capacity, physical functioning, and quality-of-life.
Stoller et al. (Fri,) studied this question.