They are game-changing.
A recent study reveals that stroke patients can achieve better recovery results by incorporating more walking exercises into their rehabilitation. Researchers discovered that adding 30 minutes of progressively challenging walking exercises to the usual rehab routine significantly enhanced patients’ mobility and overall quality of life by the time they left the hospital.
Janice Eng, a stroke rehabilitation expert from the University of British Columbia, emphasized that while current guidelines suggest structured exercise post-stroke, many rehabilitation programs lack sufficient intensity. Eng highlighted that progressive exercises, supported by wearable devices to monitor intensity, are key for boosting neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to heal.
The study included over 300 stroke patients across 12 Canadian hospitals. Initially, participants could walk an average of 500 feet during a six-minute test. Half of them were instructed to perform at least 30 minutes of walking and weight-bearing exercises daily, increasing in intensity, aiming for 2,000 steps of moderate activity five times a week.
Those who incorporated these walking exercises into their rehabilitation were able to walk 140 feet farther than those who followed the standard rehab program. This group also experienced notable improvements in balance, mobility, walking speed, and quality of life, highlighting the benefits of more intense walking exercises in stroke recovery.
Experts, including Dr. Preeti Raghavan from Johns Hopkins University, praised the study for demonstrating how easily stroke units can integrate such exercises into existing programs. Raghavan stressed the importance of early rehabilitation when the brain is most adaptable, further supporting the effectiveness of walking in stroke recovery.
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