Effects Of Exercise Training On Walking Function And Selected Cardiovascular Parameters Of Adult Patients With Stroke

ABSTRACT

Clinicians are becoming increasingly interested in the use of exercise training to enhance functional outcomes and improve physiological parameters after stroke. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of exercise training on walking function and selected cardiovascular parameters of adult patients with stroke. Sixty-seven (67) stroke subjects comprising 36 men and 31 women participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to two exercise groups (A and B) and a control group (C); with 22 subjects each in Groups A and B, and 23 subjects in Group C. Subjects in Group A had 12 weeks of conventional physiotherapy treatment and treadmill walking exercise training (TWET). Subjects in Group B had 12 weeks of conventional physiotherapy treatment and overground walking exercise training (OWET). Subjects in Group C had 12 weeks of conventional physiotherapy treatment only. Sixty (60) subjects (20 in cach group) completed the study. Changes in walk time and walk distance functions as well as cardiovascular parameters (resting heart rate and hood pressure) were monitored throughout the period of the study. Results at weeks 0.4, 8 and 12 were used for analysis. For each of the 3 groups, paired t-tests were used to evaluate the significance of the differences between the pre-intervention (week 0) mean scores on walk time and walk distance measures, resting HR, SBP and DBP and the mean scores at weeks 4, 8 and 12.