title: Peak Cardiorespiratory Responses of Patients with Subacute Stroke During Land and Aquatic Treadmill Exercise.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this work was to investigate the cardiorespiratory responses of patients with subacute stroke to exercise stress tests with aquatic and land treadmills.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one consecutive patients who presented with first-ever subacute stroke in 2013-2015. All subjects underwent symptom-limited incremental exercise testing with aquatic and land treadmills. Land treadmill speed started at 1.5 km/h and increased 0.5 km/h every 1 to 2 minutes until maximal tolerable speed was achieved. Thereafter, the grade was elevated by 2% every 2 minutes. In the aquatic treadmill test, subjects were submerged to the xiphoid in 28°C water. Treadmill speed started at 1.5 km/h and was increased 0.5 km/h every 2 minutes thereafter. Cardiorespiratory responses were recorded with aquatic and land treadmills.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to land treadmill exercise, aquatic treadmill exercise achieved significantly better peak VO2 (22.0 vs 20.0; P = 0.02), peak metabolic equivalents (6.3 vs 5.8; P = 0.02), and peak rating of perceived exertion (17.6 vs 18.4, P = 0.01). Heart rate and VO2 correlated significantly during both tests (land treadmill: r = 0.96, P < 0.001; aquatic treadmill: r = 0.99, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aquatic treadmill exercise elicited significantly better peak cardiorespiratory responses than land treadmill exercise and may be as effective for early intensive aerobic training in subacute stroke patients.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju National University Hospital, Jeju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yong Ki
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Bo Ryun
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eun Young
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000072599:Cardiorespiratory Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007101:Immersion; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation