The influence of autonomic impairment on aerobic exercise outcome in stroke patients.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether autonomic impairment post stroke modifies the influence of early aerobic training in relation to resting heart rate, peak workload and walking performance at the subacute stage post event.


METHODS
Sixty-four patients after a first ischemic stroke were included and randomly assigned either to an aerobic training or to a control group. The training period lasted 8 weeks. Heart rate variability (HRV) parameters, aerobic and functional abilities were measured.


RESULTS
Early aerobic exercise significantly improved endurance and walking performance in stroke patients (p< 0.05). A significant association was found between the HRV parameters two weeks post event and heart rate at rest and peak workload at the beginning of the program. No significant interaction effects between autonomic impairment and training on outcome measures were found.


CONCLUSIONS
Early aerobic training resulted in positive effects on peak workload and walking parameters in stroke patients. No modification effect was found between HRV parameters and exercise on those parameters.
Katz-Leurer
Michal
M
Physical Therapy Department, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Professions, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. michalkz@post.tau.ac.il
Shochina
Mara
M
D000368:Aged; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology