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An 8-week Forced-rate Aerobic Cycling Program Improves Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Persons With Chronic Stroke: A
Susan M Linder1, John Lee2, Francois Bethoux2
1Cleveland Clinic, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cleveland, OH; Cleveland Clinic, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, OH.
Forced-rate aerobic exercise combined with repetitive task practice significantly improved cardiorespiratory fitness in chronic stroke survivors. This approach enhances both motor and cardiorespiratory function post-stroke.
Area of Science:
- Cardiorespiratory rehabilitation
- Stroke recovery science
- Exercise physiology
Background:
- Chronic stroke often leads to impaired cardiorespiratory fitness, impacting functional recovery.
- Upper extremity repetitive task practice (UE RTP) is a common rehabilitation strategy.
- The cardiorespiratory effects of integrating aerobic exercise into stroke rehabilitation are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cardiorespiratory effects of a forced-rate aerobic exercise (FE) intervention in individuals with chronic stroke.
- To compare the effects of FE combined with UE RTP against UE RTP alone.
Main Methods:
- A secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial involving 60 individuals with chronic stroke.
- Participants were assigned to either FE followed by RTP (FE+RTP, N=30) or RTP alone (N=30).
- FE involved 45 minutes of cycling at 60%-80% of heart rate reserve, followed by 45 minutes of RTP; the control group received 90 minutes of RTP.
Main Results:
- Fifty participants completed the study. The FE+RTP group showed significantly greater improvements in peak oxygen consumption (peak V̇o2) compared to the RTP group (P=.020).
- Significant improvements in anaerobic threshold (AT) were also observed in the FE+RTP group compared to the RTP group (P=.020).
- No significant predictors of post-intervention peak V̇o2 were identified among age, sex, BMI, beta-blocker use, or specific exercise variables.
Conclusions:
- Integrating forced-rate aerobic exercise into stroke rehabilitation effectively improves cardiorespiratory fitness.
- This novel rehabilitation model shows potential for enhancing both motor and cardiorespiratory function in stroke survivors.
- The combined FE+RTP approach may offer a more comprehensive recovery strategy.
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