Steps, duration and intensity of usual walking practice during subacute rehabilitation after stroke: an observational
Suzanne S Kuys1, Louise Ada2, Jennifer Paratz3
1School of Physiotherapy, Australian Catholic University, Banyo, Australia.
Background:
Duration of therapy time is an inadequate indicator of stroke rehabilitation. Steps, duration, and intensity of active therapy time may provide a better indicator of practice.
Objective:
This study quantified usual walking practice in terms of steps, duration and intensity of active therapy time, and distance walked during physical therapy sessions in people with sub-acute stroke undertaking inpatient rehabilitation and to examine whether usual walking practice differed depending on walking ability.
Methods:
A prospective observational study was conducted across two metropolitan rehabilitation units in Australia. Twenty-four stroke survivors were observed over three physical therapy sessions. Walking ability was categorized as unassisted or assisted based on Item 5 of the Motor Assessment Scale. Walking practice was categorized as basic or advanced. Steps, duration, intensity and distance walked were measured during physical therapy sessions.
Results:
Overall, participants took 560 steps (SD 309) over 13min (SD 6) at an intensity of steps 44 steps/min (SD 17) and walked 222m (SD 143) in physical therapy. Unassisted walkers (n=6, 25%) undertook more (or trended towards more) practice of advanced walking than assisted walkers in terms of steps (MD 254 steps, 95% CI 48-462), duration (MD 5min, 95% CI 0-10), intensity (MD 18steps/min, 95% CI -8 to 44) and distance (MD 112m, 95% CI -12 to 236).
Conclusion:
Stroke survivors undergoing inpatient rehabilitation spent approximately 20% of physical therapy actively engaged in walking practice. Those able to walk without assistance took more steps for longer, at a higher intensity.
Trial Registration:
ACTRN12613000764730 (https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=364545).
More Related Videos
13:44Haptic/Graphic Rehabilitation: Integrating a Robot into a Virtual Environment Library and Applying it to Stroke Therapy
Published on: August 8, 2011
09:42Author Spotlight: Using Motor Imagery Brain-Computer Interface to Improve Motor and Cognitive Function in Stroke Patients
Published on: September 1, 2023
Related Concept Videos
01:11Observational Studies
There are three types of observational studies – Prospective, retrospective, and cross-sectional.
Prospective Study
Prospective studies, also known as longitudinal or cohort studies, are carried out by collecting future data from groups sharing similar characteristics. One...
02:30Naturalistic Observations
00:58Sound Intensity
03:08Rate-Determining Steps
In a multistep reaction mechanism, one of the elementary steps progresses significantly slower than the others. This slowest step is called the rate-limiting step (or rate-determining step). A reaction cannot proceed faster than its slowest step, and hence, the rate-determining step limits the overall reaction rate.
The concept of rate-determining step can be understood from the analogy of a 4-lane freeway with a short-stretch of traffic-bottleneck caused due to...
00:53Sound Intensity Level
The human ear can perceive an extensive range of sound intensity, necessitating the use of the logarithmic scale to define a physical quantity—the intensity level. It is a ratio of two intensities and...
01:22Intensity Of Electromagnetic Waves