Stroke Victims Strike Back

Stroke affects people in profoundly different ways. Sadly, far too many die from stroke, it being the third leading cause of death in the United States behind heart disease and cancer, respectively. But for those who are fortunate enough to survive, the after effects of stroke on someone’s life depends on the severity of their stroke and the part of the brain that was affected. For instance, ESPN baseball aficionado Peter Gammons bounced back from his 2006 stroke with little to no-known after effects; while Hollywood film legend Kirk Douglas’ ability to speak was profoundly affected after suffering from his stroke in the mid ‘90s.

One always wants to prevent a stroke from ever occurring, of course. But once a stroke hits, the victim of a stroke must endure its consequences, having no recourse to improve one’s physicality, right?

Wrong! Because according to researchers from John Hopkins, the University of Maryland (Go Terrapins!) and Maryland’s Department of Veterans Affairs, something as simple as walking a few times a week can improve the brain function of stroke victims, eventually leading to an improved ability to walk. What’s more, even years after researchers’ participants suffered a stroke, there were still marked improvements in mobility.

Researchers recruited approximately 70 people who’d suffered a stroke, all of whom having been affected by one at least six months prior to the study beginning. The researchers randomly assigned the participants to one of two groups, no matter how significantly the stroke affected their ability to move (some could walk on their own; others needed a cane, while others needed the help of another person to move around). One of the groups underwent approximately 40 minutes of stretching exercises three times a day with the help of physical therapists. The other group walked on a treadmill for the same amount of time, with or without the help of a therapist or walking assistants, again, depending on how severe the after effects of the stroke was. In all instances, however, therapists increased the speed and incline of the treadmill as the participants improved in strength over the six-month period of observation.

Now, the goal of this study was to compare how walking versus stretching improved the physical fitness of the participants. And as one might expect, the participants who walked showed a far greater improvement in physical fitness (e.g. aerobic capacity – known as VO2 – improved 18 percent in the walking group, it decreased in the stretching group; walking speed increased 51 percent compared to the 11 percent in the stretching group). This isn’t too much of a surprise. But in addition to the improved speed and physical fitness, the walking group also showed increased brain activity when the researchers compared the participants’ brain scans. The researchers performed MRIs on all of the participants before and after the study. The stretching group’s brain scans, comparatively, showed little increase in brain activity.

As you know, a stroke occurs when there’s a lack of oxygen and blood flow leading to the brain due to clotting or blockage. Depending on how long and how significant the shortage is determines what kind of impact the stroke will place on those who survive. But as this research indicates, walking – even when it’s difficult for them to do so – appears to increase one’s ability to bounce back from a stroke, even 20 years after the stroke took place.

This is yet more evidence that exercise works wonders on the body by reinvigorating the mind – even the minds of those who’ve suffered from something as serious as a stroke.