International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Open Access
ISSN: 2329-9096
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2329-9096
+44 1300 500008
Roberta Lins Goncalves
Accepted Abstracts: Int J Phys Med Rehabil
Background: Stroke has been considered the major cause of chronic disability in the world and ranks among the leading causes of death. Despite the fact that new vascular events often happen and risk factors are the same that of the Cardiovascular Diseases; secondary prevention through non-pharmacological measures, is not part of the routine physical rehabilitation after stroke. Objective: The objective is to answer the following clinical question: Should aerobic fitness be part of the physical rehabilitation of individuals post-stroke? Methodological design: An integrative literature review Inclusion criteria: Articles in English, published in secondary databases: systematic reviews with or without meta-analysis, which addressed the question PICO: Patient (post-stroke), intervention (aerobic exercise), comparison (with or without aerobic conditioning), the outcome (volume of oxygen consumed peak (VO2peak), quality of life (QoL), morbidity and mortality). Outcomes: VO2peak, QoL, complications and mortality. Analysis of studies: The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the tools, PRISMA and R-AMSTAR. Result: There was ?good? evidence for the inclusion of aerobic exercise on physical rehabilitation of post-stroke individuals to improve their physical capacity (VO2peak), facilitating the completion of activities of daily living and gait. There was weak evidence on the association of aerobic fitness with positive results on QoL in stroke victims and insufficient results to evaluate the effect of aerobic fitness on the risk of stroke recurrence and mortality. Conclusion: The aerobic conditioning should be included in the rehabilitation of stroke victims.