Abstract
Background and Purpose. This study investigated the cardiopulmonary response and safety of exercise testing at peak effort in people during the chronic stage of stroke recovery. Methods. This retrospective study examined data from 62 individuals with chronic stroke (males: 32; mean (SD); age: (12.0) yr) participating in an exercise test. Results. Both males and females had low cardiorespiratory fitness levels. No significant differences were found between gender for peak HR (P = 0.27), or VO2 peak (P = 0.29). Males demonstrated higher values for minute ventilation, tidal volume, and respiratory exchange ratio. No major adverse events were observed in the exercise tests conducted. Discussion and Conclusion. There are differences between gender that may play a role in exercise testing performance and should be considered when developing exercise programs. The low VO2 peak of this cohort of chronic stroke survivors suggests the need for participation in exercise interventions.
Highlights
Recovery from stroke is challenging due to impaired neuromuscular control, decreased functional mobility, balance deficits, and reduced cardiorespiratory (CR) fitness [1, 2]
Females were younger and their age-predicted HR max (APHRM) calculated by 220 minus age was significantly higher than males
We report that males exercised beyond their anaerobic threshold with respiratory exchange ratio (RER) significantly higher
Summary
Recovery from stroke is challenging due to impaired neuromuscular control, decreased functional mobility, balance deficits, and reduced cardiorespiratory (CR) fitness [1, 2]. Research studies have demonstrated improvements in VO2 peak after exercise interventions [3, 4, 6, 7] and physical function (e.g., Timed Up and Go), walking [8, 9], and psychological well being [8, 10]. This study investigated the cardiopulmonary response and safety of exercise testing at peak effort in people during the chronic stage of stroke recovery. This retrospective study examined data from 62 individuals with chronic stroke (males: 32; mean (SD); age: (12.0) yr) participating in an exercise test. Both males and females had low cardiorespiratory fitness levels. The low VO2 peak of this cohort of chronic stroke survivors suggests the need for participation in exercise interventions
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