Repetitive sit-to-stand training after stroke
After stroke, many people have difficulty standing up and walking independently, due to motor impairments such as weakness and poor coordination. Loss of the ability to stand up can result in profound disability and increased burden of care.
Since standing up independently is essential for reducing disability and burden of care, it is important to understand if additional repetitive sit-to-stand training improves the ability to stand up independently after stroke.
Five clinical trials have investigated the effects of additional repetitive sit-to-stand training after stroke, but each one has had serious methodological limitations. In a recent randomised controlled trial by physiotherapists in Sydney, 30 people with stroke all received usual care.
Half the participants attended two additional sessions of physiotherapy per day for 2 weeks. These sessions were individualised to the needs of each participant in order to increase the amount and intensity of sit-to-stand training.
All participants completed the trial and a significant benefit in sit-to-stand ability was found on two different ways of measuring sit-to-stand function.
However, it is not clear whether the size of the treatment effect is clinically worthwhile. The large amounts of sit-to-stand training were well tolerated in the early stages of stroke recovery.
Want to read deeper into this topic? Have a look at the free full text version of this article published in Journal of Physiotherapy!
> From: de Sousa et al., J Physiother 65 (2019) 152-158 (Epub ahead of print). All rights reserved to Australian Physiotherapy Association. Click here for the online summary.
