Feasibility and trend of pulmonary function in a pilot trial of aerobic walking exercise in non-ambulatory stroke survivors.

Background: Lung function is compromised in stroke survivors, which may cause fatigue and exercise intolerance. Furthermore, past studies of aerobic exercise have involved only stroke survivors who could walk independently. Stroke survivors who were unable to walk were not included in the previous research-investigating changes in lung function from walking exercise interventions. In this pilot study, the feasibility and the effect of aerobic walking exercise on lung function was examined in non-ambulatory stroke survivors using a treadmill, bodyweight support system, and a gait training device.Methods: This study was a single group trial. Eight non-ambulatory stroke survivors (five males, mean age 63.3 ± 13.7 years, seven with ischemic stroke) completed a low intensity walking exercise program (30 min/session; three sessions/week for 8 weeks) and lung function test. Before and after the intervention, vital capacity (VC) and forced vital capacity (FVC) using a spirometer were measured according to the guideline from American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society.Results: The rates of compliance and attrition were 100% and 10%; respectively, and no adverse events were reported. There were significant differences between pre- and post-intervention assessments in FVC (p = .09), percentage of predicted VC (p = .08), and percentage of predicted FVC (p = .08).Conclusions: In non-ambulatory stroke survivors, aerobic walking exercise is feasible and safe. Also, the results are promising and suggest that aerobic walking exercise may improve lung function; more data are needed.