Why Exercise after Stroke?

The leading causes of mortality in stroke survivors are cardiovascular disease and recurrent stroke.  However, physical activity decreases the risk factors associated with those two outcomes.

Psychosocial factors also affect stroke survivors depending on the subsequent degree of disability. These and other factors can lead to post-stroke depression, the incidence of which ranges from 18 to 68 percent.

In addition, psychosocial factors can play a key role in a person's ability to benefit from rehabilitation and the ability to maintain those benefits.  In a scientific statement offering recommendations for exercise and physical activity for stroke survivors, the American Heart Association noted that the positive effects of aggressive post-stroke rehabilitation.  Exercise beyond the typical six months or so window following a stroke increases aerobic capacity and sensorimotor function.

Another important observation is the evidence suggesting that stroke survivors in many ways are comparable to their age-matched healthy peers in their ability to be exercise-trained, and that physical activity and exercise training are one important component of a comprehensive stroke risk-reduction program.