title: Relationship between maximal exercise capacity and walking capacity in adult hemiplegic stroke patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the relationship between maximal exercise capacity and walking capacity in hemiplegic stroke patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  An uncontrolled observational study was conducted in the physical medicine and rehabilitation unit in an academic hospital. Participants were 21 hemiplegic stroke patients (18 men, 3 women; age, 18-70 yrs) whose stroke occurred >3 mos before the study and who could walk independently with or without walking aids. Main outcome measures were peak oxygen uptake, workload, walking capacity, and motor impairment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant correlation between walking capacity (6-min-walk test) and both peak oxygen uptake (r=0.602, P=0.0032) and maximal power output (r=0.867, P<0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aerobic capacity and walking capacity are decreased in hemiplegic stroke patients and are correlated with each other. These results underscore the need for future studies, to confirm the role of fitness in relation to walking capacity, and to evaluate the benefit of integrating aerobic training into more traditional rehabilitation programs after stroke.
authors.affiliation: Unité PPEH-GIP E2S EA 3062, Faculté de Médecine Jacques Lisfranc, Université Jean Monnet Service de Médecine Physique et de Réadaptation, Hôpital Bellevue CHU, Saint-Etienne, France.
authors.forename: Annabelle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Courbon
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Calmels
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Roche
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramas
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rimaud
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fayolle-Minon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005080:Exercise Test; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications*; D016138:Walking