Abstract
Background and Purpose: The relationship between increased exercise and improvement in motor paralysis in stroke patients was examined in relation to changes in the medical insurance system concerning rehabilitation.
Methods: Subjects were 122 stroke patients (6-session group) who performed 5 or 6 exercise sessions while the maximum number of exercise sessions permitted by medical insurance was 6 sessions (2 hours) and 45 patients (9-session group) who performed 7, 8, or 9 exercise sessions while the upper limit was 9 session. They underwent subacute rehabilitation in the Kaifukuki rehabilitation ward. Five motor items of the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set (SIAS) were evaluated on admission and at discharge and were compared between the two groups. We also performed a stratified analysis by degree of paralysis on admission.
Results: SIAS motor scores were higher in the 9-session group than in the 6-unit group before stratification. When we restricted the analysis to patients with moderate lower extremity paralysis or mild upper extremity paralysis on admission, SIAS motor scores at discharge and the increase in these scores were higher in the 9-unit group than in the 6-unit group.
Conclusions: Increasing the number of exercise sessions from 6 to 9 sessions per day improved motor paralysis.
