The Knowledge of Physiotherapy Practitioners on the Effects of Strengthening Exercises on Stroke Patients at Selected Hospitals in Lusaka District

Background: Physical inactivity has been established to be an independent risk factor for a range of chronic diseases and conditions that threaten the health of the nation. Therefore, the role of strengthening exercises in patients who had stroke is to prevent further disability. Objectives: To determine the knowledge of physiotherapy practitioners on the effects of strengthening exercises on stroke patients at selected hospitals in Lusaka District. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study which utilized quantitative methods. The sample size of 57 participants, both males and females in the age group of 19 to 65 years were chosen using purposive sampling technique. The Excel software program, Chi-Square test and Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) were used to capture and analyze the data. Results: In this study, 43 physiotherapy practitioners participated and the response rate was 75%. The majority were females (74%) while (26%) were males. Most of the participants (55%) had the Bachelor of Science Degree while 12% had Master of Science. According to the results, 70% of the participants defined physical activity as an activity which involved skeletal muscles that led to energy expenditure above resting level. The majority of the practitioners reported positive results from using strengthening exercises to improve stroke outcomes. Specifically, 74% of them rated the outcomes as satisfactory, while 26% rated them as very satisfactory. The results also showed that physiotherapy practitioners have the required knowledge with regard to the effects of strengthening exercises in stroke patients. However, they preferred other forms of exercise that were less demanding on their schedule. Conclusion: The physiotherapy practitioners had adequate knowledge about the benefit of physical activity and the effects of strength training on stroke patients. They all agreed that to yield better results, the right time to commence strength training was soon after occurrence of a stroke. However, this knowledge did not influence their decision to use strength training in post stroke rehabilitation more, which suggested that they did not base their decisions on evidence.