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R5. Impact of Exercise and Education on the Quality of Life in Stroke Survivors
While improved medical techniques have increased the life spans of individuals who have had strokes, attention needs to be directed towards promoting healthy lifestyles and investigating methods to reduce the effects of secondary conditions. Incorporating exercise into the lives of individuals who have survived strokes enables them to enjoy the physical and psychological benefits of fitness and perform functional activities with less fatigue. However, there has been little investigation into the ability of stroke survivors to maintain long-term participation in an exercise program. The long-term effects of exercise on outcomes and on the prevention and treatment of secondary conditions are also relatively unknown. This study examines the effects of aerobic training on a variety of physiological and psychological parameters, and compares aerobic training with a training program that includes both aerobic and resistance training.
Both interventions are sixteen weeks long and consist of cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility training. Specific exercise protocols are designed for participants with various levels of impairment. The duration and intensity of each session is incrementally increased throughout the 16 weeks. Physiologic parameters such as aerobic capacity, blood lipid profile, body composition, range of motion and muscular strength are measured. Changes in functional capacity are also assessed through measures of ambulatory ability and changes in energy expenditure. These measures are taken pre- and post-treatment, as well as at six months and one year following completion of the training protocol.
Publications:Jones, J. & Carr, M. The physiological effects of exercise on stroke survivors. Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation, in press.
The Helen M. Galvin Center for Health & Fitness at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.