Physical Fitness Training After Stroke

<LEAP> highlights the findings and application of Cochrane reviews and other evidence pertinent to the practice of physical therapy. The Cochrane Library is a respected source of reliable evidence related to health care. Cochrane systematic reviews explore the evidence for and against the effectiveness and appropriateness of interventions-medications, surgery, education, nutrition, exercise-and the evidence for and against the use of diagnostic tests for specific conditions. Cochrane reviews are designed to facilitate the decisions of clinicians, patients, and others in health care by providing a careful review and interpretation of research studies published in the scientific literature.1 Each article in this PTJ series summarizes a Cochrane review or other scientific evidence resource on a single topic and will present clinical scenarios based on real patients to illustrate how the results of the review can be used to directly inform clinical decisions. This article focuses on physical fitness interventions for individuals with stroke. This population is at higher risk for sustaining recurrent stroke, as these individuals commonly have cardiovascular comorbidities and risk factors, as well as mobility limitations that contribute to sedentary behaviors. Addressing the decline in fitness after stroke is an important consideration for physical therapists working with individuals with stroke. This article summarizes the results of the Cochrane review "Physical Fitness Training After Stroke" by Brazzelli and colleagues2 and presents a clinical scenario, based on a real patient, to illustrate how the results from this systematic review can be used to directly inform clinical decisions in physical therapy. Can physical fitness training after stroke improve walking and cardiorespiratory fitness in this population?. © 2014 American Physical Therapy Association.