Regular Exercisers Recover Better after a Stroke

It’s well accepted that plenty of physical activity is a way to reduce the risk of having a stroke (along with taking care of other cardiovascular risk factors, such as overweight, poor nutrition, excess alcohol, and so on). What is less well known is whether pre-stroke levels of physical activity influence the outcome of a stroke. This is the topic of a study by Mayo Clinic researchers, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

The study was based on recall from 673 people who had experienced a stroke. The patients , who were enrolled in the Ischemic Stroke Genetics Study, were treated for the most common kind of stroke, where there was blockage of the blood flow to part of the brain - acute ischemic stroke. Just over half of them reported that, before their stroke, they exercised less than once a week. About a third had exercised 1 to 3 times a week, and one fifth had exercised 4 times a week or more. While exercise habits didn’t affect the severity or the size of a stroke, it did influence the outcome.

Patients who had moderate or high levels of pre-stroke physical activity were likely to have higher Barthel Index scores at enrollment. (The higher the score on this index, the more ‘independent’ the patient is, using activities of daily living as measures.) After 3 months’ follow-up, moderate and high pre-stroke activity was still associated with a high Barthel Index.

The researchers point out that this was a relatively small, short study. Longer, more extensive studies are needed to establish the possible benefits of pre-stroke exercise levels with any degree of certainty. However, in view of its recognized usefulness in other cardiovascular conditions, I shouldn’t wait to start a 3-times a week program, if I were you.