Abstract
Because of physical limitation, patients with hemiparetic stroke are liable to immobilization especially early in a rehabilitation program. In addition, many of them are elderly and usually have multiple comorbidities such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias, and diabetes mellitus. To prescribe effective rehabilitation programs while minimizing the risks of complications, it is important for us to evaluate their cardiopulmonary fitness early in a rehabilitation program. Because of their physical limitations, however, many patients with stroke cannot perform traditional stress testing using a treadmill or a cycle ergometer. In this article, we reviewed the various forms of modified stress testings for persons with hemiplegia. We also introduced our newly developed graded bridging activity (BA) and demonstrated that BA protocol was a useful mode for stress testing in persons with hemiplegia.
