Table 2.
The impact of pre-stroke exercise on stroke severity in clinical studies
| Study | Study population/duration | Study objectives | Stroke outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stroud et al. (2009) [26] | 673 (men & women) | Examine the effect of pre-stroke exercise on stroke severity and outcomes | Higher levels of pre-stroke exercise was associated with improved stroke outcomes |
| Age: 50–80 years | |||
| 2002–2007 | |||
| Reinholdsson et al. (2018) [29] | 925 (men & women). | Examine the effect of pre-stroke exercise on acute stroke severity | Pre-stroke exercise was associated with less severe stroke and improved functional outcomes |
| Mean age: 73.1 years | |||
| 2014–2016 | |||
| Deplanque et al. (2006) [30] | 362 (men & women) | Determine the factors that can affect initial severity of stroke and short-term outcomes | Pre-stroke exercise was associated with reduced severity and improved functional outcomes |
| Median age: 70 years | |||
| 2002–2004 | |||
| Wen et al. (2017) [33] | 39,835 (men & women) | Examine the effect of pre-stroke exercise on stroke outcomes | Leisure-time exercise for at least 30 min/day, 3 times/week for more than 6 months was associated with reduced stroke severity, better functional outcomes & lower mortality |
| Age: 20 to ≥65 years | |||
| 2006–2009 | |||
| Krarup et al. (2008) [34] | 265 (men & women) | Examine whether pre-stroke physical exercise influences severity of stroke injury and long- term outcome | Pre-stroke exercise reduced: |
| Mean age: 68±12.2 years | Severity of stroke injury | ||
| Duration: 2 years | Improved the long-term outcomes | ||
| Blauenfeldt et al. (2017) [35] | 102 (men & women) | Examine the effect of pre-stroke exercise on cerebral infarcts in stroke patients treated with IV tPA and RIPerC | Pre-stroke exercise the week before stroke was associated with decreased infarct size in stroke patients treated with RIPerC and IV tPA |
| Age: 58–74 years | |||
| 2009–2011 | |||
| Ricciardi et al. (2014) [36] | 159 (men & women) | Examine the impact of pre-stroke exercise on stroke outcome | Pre-stroke exercise: |
| Mean age: 68 years | Improved functional outcomes | ||
| 2008–2011 | Improved recanalization | ||
| Reduced infarct size | |||
| Lopez et al. (2017) [37] | 83 (men & women) | Examine effect of pre-stroke exercise on stroke outcomes | Pre-stroke PA: |
| Mean age: 69.6 years | Increased VEGF serum level | ||
| 2008–2011 | Investigate molecular mechanisms | Reduced infarct size, and | |
| Improved functional outcomes | |||
| Bell et al. (2013) [38] | 3,173 women | Examine pre-stroke lifestyle factors associated with post stroke mortality in older women | Pre-stroke exercise was associated with lower mortality after stroke |
| Age: 50–79 years | |||
| 1993–2010 |
Table 2 summarizes the clinical studies that showed a positive impact of exercise on reducing the severity of stroke injury.
IV, intravenous; RIPerC, remote ischemic perconditioning; tPA, tissue plasminogen activator; PA, plasminogen activator; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor.