THURSDAY, Oct. 7, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Fast walking exercises during rehabilitation help stroke survivors improve their mobility, says a small study in the current issue of Stroke.
The study also concluded that more intense walking exercises enhance stroke survivors' muscle strength, posture, balance, motor coordination, cardiovascular fitness and range of motion.
"Fast walking promotes large muscle activation and strengthens both the paralyzed and non-paralyzed sides after stroke. Intensity is the key, like athletes training for a sport. That's not something we have done before in these patients," study author Anouk Lamontagne, an assistant professor in the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University in Montreal, said in a prepared statement.
"This could make a difference in a stroke patient's ability to walk fast enough to cross the street on time or go shopping," she said.
Normally, stroke survivor rehabilitation programs use slow-moving treadmills. In this study, 12 stroke patients walked on the ground while they were supported by a harness system. The harness system could be adjusted so that the patients walked bearing their full or partial weight.
Patients who walked at a fast speed bearing their full weight increased their gait speed by an average of 165 percent.
More information
The American Occupational Therapy Association has more about stroke recovery.
