Table 1.
Characteristics of the participants.
| Characteristic | Limited-community walkers (n = 8) | Community walkers (n = 10) | Healthy (n = 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 61.4 (7.8) | 63.1 (9.3) | 62.1 (8.3) |
| Sex, n men (%) | 5 (67) | 6 (60) | 12 (67) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 26.1 (3.2) | 25.8 (3.5) | 25.6 (3.1) |
| Paretic side, n right (%) | 4 (50) | 5 (50) | NA |
| Type of stroke, n ischemic (%) | 6 (88) | 8 (80) | NA |
| Time since stroke (months), mean (SD) | 26 (13) | 24 (15) | NA |
| Associated diseases (number), mean (SD) | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | NA |
| Tonus of the plantar flexor muscles (modified Ashworth Scale), n (%) | |||
| 0 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
| 1 | 2 (25) | 3 (30) | |
| 1+ | 3 (37.5) | 4 (40) | |
| 2 | 2 (25) | 1 (10) | |
| 3 | 1 (12.5) | 2 (20) | |
| 4 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| Cognition (MMSE score 0–30), mean (SD) | 25 (3) | 24 (2) | 27 (2) |
| Independence (Barthel 0–20), mean (SD) | 15 (2) | 18 (1) | NA |
| Functional Mobility (Fugl-Meyer – lower extremity 0–34), mean (SD) | 16 (4) | 25 (3) | NA |
| Distance covered during the 6MWT, mean (SD) | 194 (77) | 412 (97) | 565 (92) |
| VO2(mL kg−1 min−1), mean (SD) | |||
| 6MWT | 8.99 (2.19) | 10.99 (2.45) | 17.51 (6.08) |
| SCT | 11.24 (3.06) | 16.07 (3.50) | 22.73 (5.96) |
| RER, mean (SD) | |||
| 6MWT | 0.92 (0.05) | 0.90 (0.06) | 0.90 (0.08) |
| SCT | 0.97 (0.15) | 0.95 (0.08) | 1.05 (0.09) |
| VE/VCO2, mean (SD) | |||
| 6MWT | 38.16 (3.19) | 34.63 (2.99) | 34.71 (3.39) |
| SCT | 36.47 (3.45) | 32.28 (3.46) | 33.36 (4.16) |
SD, standard deviation; MMSE, Mini Mental State Examination; VO2, oxygen expenditure; 6MWT, six-minute walking test; SCT, stair climb test; NA, not applicable; RER, respiratory exchange ratio; VE/VCO2, ventilation/carbon dioxide production.