An information service courtesy of Jim Comstock, Director of Business Development, Seton Medical Center
The results of a study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association in August, 2008 show that working out on a treadmill can help stroke victims recover mobility, balance, and brain function even years after a stroke has occurred. According to Dr. Daniel Hadley, professor of neurology at John Hopkins University, “Scientifically, the most important point [of the study] appears to be that rewiring of the brain may be involved in this process, not just body conditioning.”
The study, which was conducted at the University of Maryland and Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center, recruited 71 stroke patients, all of whom had suffered strokes at least six months earlier, with an average elapsed time of about four years.
At the end of six months, the treadmill group’s average peak walking velocity increased by 51%, and their cardiovascular fitness improved 18%.
Perhaps even more significantly, magnetic resonance imaging showed that the treadmill group experienced increased blood flow to the brainstem and cerebellum, increased metabolic activity in the brainstem, and a 72% increase in activity in certain areas of the brain.
Richard Macko, M.D., a co-lead author of this study, has also conducted previous research which showed that working out on the treadmill improved glucose metabolism in stroke patients, possibly preventing the development of diabetes.Up until now, the “recovery window” for stroke patients was considered to be the first three to seven months after a stroke. Most stroke rehabilitation programs have ended mere months after a patient has had a stroke, and over the course of the following years, patients’ mobility and physical fitness have generally waned.
As researcher Andreas Luft, M.D. stated, “It is promising that treadmill exercise can stimulate new or underused brain circuits and improve walking in stroke survivors even after completion of conventional rehabilitation therapy.”Dr. Luft also cautions that stroke patients require supervision on the treadmill; they cannot simply climb on and start walking.
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