NEWS - Exercise boosts fitness, bone health after stroke

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Exercise boosts fitness, bone health after stroke

11/14/2005

By: Reuters Health

NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Nov 14 - Older adults who've suffered a stroke

may be able to improve their fitness and protect their bone mass with

specially designed exercise classes, according to Canadian researchers.

Their study of 63 stroke survivors found that those who took part in a

supervised exercise program became more fit, stronger, and more mobile than

those who participated in limited physical activity.

And while bone density loss is often a problem in areas of the body affected

by a stroke, the exercise group generally maintained the bone mass in their

affected hips, whereas their peers showed a decline.

Dr. Marco Y. C. Pang, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver,

led the study, which is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics

Society.

The program used in the study could serve as a model for community fitness

programs that aim to prevent complications among older adults with chronic

diseases, according to the researchers.

For stroke survivors, they note, exercise could lower the risk of a repeat

stroke, as well as heart disease. These are risks in the aftermath of a

stroke partly because patients' cardiovascular fitness, which may have been

poor already, may decline further.

What's more, stroke-related damage to the brain can lead to muscle weakness

and impaired movement in the limbs. Coupled with the drop in bone mass that

may occur when someone loses mobility, these complications can set stroke

survivors up for potentially disabling falls.

To see whether exercise might counter these long-range problems, Pang and

his colleagues randomly assigned 63 older stroke survivors to one of two

groups: one that followed a varied, more intense program meant to improve

their fitness, strength and mobility; and one that performed only exercises

for the upper body. All of the men and women had suffered a stroke at least

one year earlier.

All of the exercise classes were offered at a community center and

supervised by therapists and fitness instructors.

After about five months, the study found, stroke patients who exercised more

extensively showed greater gains in fitness, mobility, and strength in their

stroke-affected leg than their peers in the comparison group. The exercises

also appeared to help them retain the bone mass in their hips.

That result, according to the researchers, offers the first evidence that

regular exercise can protect hipbone health after a stroke.

They call for larger, longer studies to look at whether exercise can help

prevent long-term stroke complications like heart disease, osteoporosis and

falls.

Last Updated: 2005-11-11 13:12:24 -0400 (Reuters Health)

SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, October 2005.

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