title: Validity of rating of perceived exertion ranges in individuals in the subacute stage of stroke recovery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is used to monitor or prescribe workload of exercise, but its utility among individuals with a stroke remains in question.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the validity of RPE at multiple percentages of peak aerobic capacity (Vo2peak) in individuals in the subacute stage of stroke recovery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-seven patients with stroke in the subacute stage of recovery from an inpatient rehabilitation institute completed a graded maximal exercise test on a semi-recumbent cycle ergometer. Respiratory gas exchange was monitored for analysis of Vo2, while heart rate and RPE (Borg CR10 Scale) were measured at the end of each minute. RPE was compared with expected ranges when at 60%, 70%, and 80% of Vo2peak. Post hoc analyses were performed to determine whether patient characteristics differed between participants who fell within and outside the expected RPE range at 80% of Vo2peak.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median (interquartile range) RPE at 60%, 70%, and 80% Vo2peak were 3.0 (3.0-3.5), 3.0 (3.0-5.0), and 4.75 (3.0-5.75), respectively; 76.2%, 69.0%, and 38.9% of participants fell into the expected RPE range at each intensity. Patient characteristics were similar between participants who fell within and outside the expected RPE range at 80% Vo2peak.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RPE appears to be a reasonable indicator of exercise intensity after stroke at moderate (60%-70% Vo2peak) but not high-intensity exercise (80% Vo2peak). This conclusion is based on the high degree of between-subject variability in RPE at 80% Vo2peak. Future research should identify whether RPE can be adapted to accurately capture exertion during high-intensity exercise after stroke.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sage
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Middleton
authors.forename: Ada
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Sibley
authors.forename: Dina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: McIlroy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology*; D011659:Pulmonary Gas Exchange / Q000502:physiology; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation
keywords: exercise; rating of perceived exertion; rehabilitation; stroke