Authors:
Annabelle Courbon, MSc
Paul Calmels, MD
Fre´de´ric Roche, MD, PhD
Julien Ramas, MSc
Diana Rimaud, MSc
Isabelle Fayolle-Minon, MD
Affiliations:
From Unite´ PPEH-GIP E2S EA 3062,
Faculte´ de Me´decine Jacques Lisfranc,
Universite´ Jean Monnet Service de
Me´decine Physique et de
Re´adaptation, Hoˆ pital Bellevue CHU,
Saint-Etienne, France (AC, PC, JR,
DR, IFM); and Service d’Exploration
Fonctionnelle et Respiratoire,
Universite´ Jean Monnet et CHU de
Saint-Etienne, France (FR).
Disclosures:
Supported, in part, by a partnership
with the GIP “Exercice-Sport-Sante´,”
Jean Monnet University, Saint
Etienne (France); by the “Aide a` la
recherche me´dicale Ondaine”
Association; and by Medimex SA,
Polar SA, and Ergomedic SA through
material support.
Correspondence:
All correspondence and requests for
reprints should be addressed to
Annabelle Courbon, MSc, Service de
Me´decine Physique et de
Re´adaptation, Hoˆ pital Bellevue,
Universite´ Jean Monnet et CHU de
Saint-Etienne, 42055 Saint-Etienne
cedex 02, France.
0894-9115/06/8505-0436/0
American Journal of Physical
Medicine & Rehabilitation
Copyright © 2006 by Lippincott
Williams & Wilkins
DOI: 10.1097/01.phm.0000214359.94735.c8
Relationship Between Maximal
Exercise Capacity and Walking
Capacity in Adult Hemiplegic Stroke
Patients
ABSTRACT
Courbon A, Calmels P, Roche F, Ramas J, Rimaud D, Fayolle-Minon I: Rela-
tionship between maximal exercise capacity and walking capacity in adult hemi-
plegic stroke patients. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2006;85:436 – 442.
Objective: To evaluate the relationship between maximal exercise
capacity and walking capacity in hemiplegic stroke patients.
Design: An uncontrolled observational study was conducted in the
physical medicine and rehabilitation unit in an academic hospital. Partic-
ipants were 21 hemiplegic stroke patients (18 men, 3 women; age,
18 –70 yrs) whose stroke occurred 3 mos before the study and who
could walk independently with or without walking aids. Main outcome
measures were peak oxygen uptake, workload, walking capacity, and
motor impairment.
Results: There was a significant correlation between walking capacity
(6-min-walk test) and both peak oxygen uptake (r 0.602, P 0.0032)
and maximal power output (r 0.867, P 0.0001).
Conclusions: Aerobic capacity and walking capacity are decreased in
hemiplegic stroke patients and are correlated with each other. These
results underscore the need for future studies, to confirm the role of
fitness in relation to walking capacity, and to evaluate the benefit of
integrating aerobic training into more traditional rehabilitation programs
after stroke.
Key Words: Cerebrovascular Accident, Maximal Exercise, Walking Capacity, Motor
Impairment
436 Am. J. Phys. Med. Rehabil. ● Vol. 85, No. 5
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Stroke