Falls Are Associated With Lower Self-Reported Functional Status in Patients After Stroke

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Stroke Research

Background:

• Stroke survivors often experience impaired functional status and increased fall risk.
• Post-stroke rehabilitation aims to improve mobility and independence, but falls can impede progress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between falls and functional status changes in stroke patients undergoing outpatient rehabilitation.
• To determine if falls impact the recovery of functional abilities after stroke.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of data from the FIT-Stroke trial involving 199 stroke outpatients.
• Assessed functional status using the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS)-16 at discharge and 12 weeks post-discharge.
• Used multiple regression to analyze the impact of falls on functional status, controlling for cognitive and motor impairments.

Main Results:

• 28% of stroke patients reported at least one fall within 12 weeks of discharge.
• Falls were significantly associated with less improvement in self-reported functional status (SIS-16 score, P=.009).

Conclusions:

• Falls are common in stroke survivors with mild cognitive deficits and good mobility during outpatient rehabilitation.
• Implementing fall prevention strategies is crucial for optimizing functional recovery in this population.