Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Setting Up a Stroke Team Algorithm and Conducting Simulation-based Training in the Emergency Department - A Practical Guide
Published on: January 15, 2017
Exercise as stroke prophylaxis
Carl D Reimers1, Guido Knapp, Anne K Reimers
1Klinik für Neurologie, Zentralklinik Bad Berka, Germany. c.d.reimers@t-online.de
Background:
Stroke is the third most common cause of death in industrialized countries, accounting for more than 10% of deaths over age 65. Most strokes are due to arteriosclerosis. Regular physical activity lowers arterial blood pressure and body weight and improves glucose and lipid metabolism, thereby slowing the development of arteriosclerosis and its cardiovascular complications, particularly myocardial infarction. This review focuses on the question whether physical activity might also have a preventive effect on cerebral infarction and hemorrhage.
Methods:
This analysis is based on 33 prospective cohort studies and 10 case-control studies that addressed the potential effect of physical activity on stroke-related morbidity and mortality.
Results:
Our meta-analysis shows that physical activity reduces the risk of all types of stroke (infarction, hemorrhage, and stroke of unspecified type). The relative risk (RR) of fatal or non-fatal cerebral infarction is 0.75, while the corresponding figures for cerebral hemorrhage and stroke of unspecified type are 0.67 and 0.71, respectively. The reduction of risk is only statistically significant for men. The case-control studies show an RR of 0.32 for men and women combined.
Conclusions:
When a multivariate analysis is performed that takes other vascular risk factors into account, physical activity is found to have an independent protective effect against cerebrovascular events. The effect is statistically significant only for men, not for women.
Related Concept Videos
Regulation of Stroke Volume
Preload refers to the degree of stretch on the heart before it contracts. It's analogous to the stretching of a rubber band; the more it's stretched, the more forcefully it snaps back. This concept is encapsulated in the Frank-Starling law of the...
Exercise and Cardiovascular Response
Light to moderate physical activity initiates a series of interconnected responses in the body. The heart rate modestly increases in anticipation of the workout, followed by widespread vasodilation as oxygen consumption by skeletal muscles increases. This results in decreased peripheral resistance, increased capillary blood flow, and accelerated...
Coronary Artery Disease IV: Preventive Measures
Ischemic Stroke l: Introduction
Exercise and Cardiac Output
Sustained exercise increases the muscles' oxygen demand, which can be met...
Hemorrhagic Stroke l: Introduction