Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between daily physical activity and physical fitness in twenty ambulatory post-stroke patients. The pedometric measurement was made using a caloriecounter in daily life at home and assessed to quantify the time constant (τ on) of oxygen uptake (VO2) and oxygen deficit with gas analysis using a bicycle ergometer. There were negative correlations between the amount of daily walking steps and τ on, as well as the oxygen deficit at the onset of exercise (τ on; r=-0.52, p<0.05, oxygen deficit ; r=-0.61, p<0.01 ), and positive correlations between the amount of daily walking steps and peak VO2, as well as the maximal work load with gas analysis (peakVO2; r=0.61, p<0.01, maximal work load ; r=0.69, p<0.01 ). These results suggest that gait performance of daily physical activity at home was generally related with exercise endurance in ambulatory post-stroke hemiplegia.
