(1) The purpose of this study is to establish an index of physical fitness and methodology of measuring physical fitness in the hemiplegic patient due to cerebrovascular accident, and to compare the physical fitness in the hemiplegic patients with that in normal persons of the comparable age.
(2) The oxygen uptake at the heart rate (H. R.) of 100 or 120 beats/min. (V
O2100, V
O2120) was considered to be a valid index of physical fitness in the hemiplegic patients.
(3) It was found that there was a linear relationship between H. R. and V
O2 in the hemiplegics in 5th or 6th decade who had the IV Brunnstrom stage in the lower extremity as long as H. R. was smaller than 120 beats/min. Using this relationship between H. R. and V
O2, it was possible to intrapolate V
O2100 and V
O2120.
(4) Physical fitness was measured in the hemiplegics in the 5th and 6th decade (hemi plegicgroup), and the normal men in the 5th and 6th decade (normal group). Each of the four subgroups consisted of 15 men. V
O2100 and V
O2120 in each subject were measured in indirect method,
1) Subjects were asked to walk on treadmill slowly (walking speed was about 50% of speed in the comfortable walk) for 5 minutes.
2) Consequently, they were asked to walk fast (walking speed was about 120% of speed in the comfortable walk) for 5 minutes.
3) After 5-10 minutes of rest, they were asked walk with comfortable speed on treadmill that was inclined at 5 degrees. H. R. and V
O2 of the last 1 minute were measured in each condition. Using these data, V
O2100 and V
O2120 of each subject were calculated.
(5) V
O2100 and V
O2120 of hemiplegic group were significantly lower than that of normal group in both decades. From this result, it was concluded that physical fitness in the hemiplegic patients in the 5th and 6th decade was lower than that in normal men in the same age.
(6) It might be considered that fall in stroke volume of the heart was one of the factors that caused deterioration of physical fitness in the hemiplegic patients.
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