Poster 31: Value of a fitness program after completion of rehabilitation therapy poststroke

Objective: To assess the value of a fitness program after completion of formal stroke rehabilitation. Design: Randomized, controlled, prospective study. Setting: Community wellness center. Participants: 39 subjects with stroke randomly assigned to immediate (n=20) versus deferred treatment (n=19). Interventions: The immediate group (IG) was enrolled in a 12-week exercise program. The deferred group (DG) was deferred from the exercise program for 12 weeks. Main Outcome Measures: Fugl-Meyer motor and balance subscores, 2- and 6-minute timed walk tests, FIM™ instrument, number of falls, number of hospitalizations, Mini-Mental State Examination, Beck Depression Scale, Community Integration Questionnaire, and Burke Handicap Scores were obtained at baseline and at 12 weeks postenrollment. Results: Preliminary analysis showed that the change in Fugl-Meyer motor score from baseline to 12 weeks was the only significant outcome variable (IG score ± SEM, 5.3±1.5 vs DG score, −1.7±2.1; P=.01). Subject dropouts differed significantly between the 2 groups (1 in IG, 6 in DG; χ²=4.0, P=.04). Conclusions: Structured exercise after completion of formal stroke rehabilitation has a significant effect on impairment. Subject dropouts in the DG indicated the strength of patient demand for a structured exercise program.