Effect of intensive aerobic exercise on respiratory capacity and walking ability with chronic stroke patients: a randomized controlled pilot trial

Abstract

[Purpose] To investigate the effects of intensive aerobic exercise on respiratory capacity and walking ability in chronic stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=6) or a control group (n=6). Patients in the experimental group received intensive aerobic exercise for 30 minutes and traditional physical therapy once a day, five days a week, for four weeks. The control group received aerobic exercise for 30 minutes and traditional physical therapy for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, for four weeks. [Results] After the intervention, both groups showed significant improvements in the forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second, 10-meter walking test, and six-minute walking test over the baseline results. The comparison of the two groups after the intervention revealed that the experimental group showed more significant improvements in the forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second, and six-minute walking test. There was no significant difference in saturation pulse oximetry oxygen and 10-meter walking test between the groups. [Conclusion] The results of this study suggest that intensive aerobic exercise has a positive effect on respiratory capacity and walking endurance in patients with chronic stroke.

Efficacy of Interventions to Improve Respiratory Function After Stroke

“…Eleven trials compared experimental interventions versus no intervention, 14,16,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] 3 compared to sham interventions, [34][35][36] and 3 of the studies compared 2 different modalities of respiratory interventions. [37][38][39] The characteristics of the included trials are summarized in Table 1.…”

“…Interventions. The experimental interventions were: aerobic exercises (2 trials), 37,39 breathing exercises (ie, breathing/chest expansion/diaphragmatic exercises) (4 trials), 16,26,30,33 postural exercises (1 trial), 32 respiratory muscle training (11 trials), 14,25,[27][28][29][30][31][33][34][35][36] , and the addition of electrical stimulation (2 trials). 14,38 Three trials included 2 interventions (2 experimental groups) and were included in 2 different comparisons.…”

“…14,25,[33][34][35][36] Thirteen trials measured lung function using spirometry (data on FVC and FEV 1 were reported in L, and data on PEF were reported in L/s). 16,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][37][38][39] Two trials 30,38 reported lung function as percentages of the predicted values. Regarding the secondary outcomes, 2 trials measured dyspnea using the Borg scale, 29,33 and 6 trials measured activity.…”

“…Regarding the secondary outcomes, 2 trials measured dyspnea using the Borg scale, 29,33 and 6 trials measured activity. 25,29,33,36,37,39 Activity was measured using timed-walk measures (3 trials), 29,37,39 cycle ergometer (2 trials), 33,36 and self-reported questionnaires (3 trials). 25,33,36 Effect of Interventions Aerobic Exercise.…”

“…The effects of aerobic exercise on respiratory function were examined in 2 trials that had a mean PEDro score of 6. 37,39 The first trial compared intensive with self-selected aerobic exercises, 37 and the second trial compared self-selected aerobic exercises with inspiratory muscle training. 39 A meta-analysis was not performed due to clinical heterogeneity.…”