None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Background Stroke is a cardiovascular disease that is estimated to affect 1.7% of all Australians. Due to stroke-related disabilities, 40% of patients experience limitations with walking, upper limb function and other activities, causing reduced participation in society. High intensity rehabilitation is required to optimise recovery however, this is not being achieved using current approaches to therapy. There are limited strategies for maximising intensity of stroke rehabilitation that have proven benefit and do not involve additional resources. Counting and recording repetitions is a possible solution, however, this strategy is yet to be evaluated. This study will quantify the effect of counting and recording repetitions and discussing target numbers of repetitions on the intensity of practice achieved in stroke rehabilitation. During therapy sessions for the intervention group exercise repetitions will be counted and recorded and participants will be encouraged to reach target numbers based on their previous performance. The control group will continue with usual therapy. Significance of Research If this study demonstrates that counting and recording repetitions increases the intensity of practice done in rehabilitation, it could lead to changes within stroke rehabilitation that will make therapy more efficient and effective. It will provide a strategy that incrases the intensity of stroke rehabilitation with no additional resources, time or cost for the therapist or the patient. Aim Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the impact of counting and recording repetitions on the intensity of rehabilitation (rate of repetitions) completed. It is hypothesised that this intervention will lead to a statistically and clinically relevant increase in the intensity of stroke rehabilitation. Objectives • To determine the percentage difference in the rate of repetitions between the start and end of study for both the intervention and control group. • To compare the percentage difference between the intervention and control group • To determine if counting and recording repetitions has any statistical or clinical significance in increasing the intensity of stroke rehabilitation
Interventions
Participants in Group A (intervention group) - At a private rehabilitation clinic in Sydney, during five face to face physiotherapy rehabilitation sessions, the participants in the intervention group will have all repetitions done in five minutes of a target exercise counted and recorded on a practice sheet that is visible to the participant. This will be done by the treating physiotherapist who will be an experienced rehabilitation physiotherapist. The therapist will count out loud the repetiti
Participants in Group A (intervention group) - At a private rehabilitation clinic in Sydney, during five face to face physiotherapy rehabilitation sessions, the participants in the intervention group will have all repetitions done in five minutes of a target exercise counted and recorded on a practice sheet that is visible to the participant. This will be done by the treating physiotherapist who will be an experienced rehabilitation physiotherapist. The therapist will count out loud the repetitions that are being done and keep an ongoing tally. Before each new session, the therapist will show the number of repetitions completed in the previous session and set a goal that is 25% higher (for example, last session: 20 repetitions, goal for this session: at least 25 repetitions). Adherence will be monitored by examining the practice records and watching the video recording of the session.
Sponsors
Australian Catholic University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
• Above 18 years of age • Clinical diagnosis of stroke (ischaemic or haemorrhagic) • Attending Advance Rehab Centre (ARC) in Sydney, Australia • Planned to attend at least another 8 sessions of rehabilitation • Patient can complete a minimum of 5 minutes of a rehabilitation exercise without assistance from people or devices • Patient has appropriate cognition and English language ability to give consent and understand instructions
Exclusion criteria
• Co-morbidities that can reduce exercise capacity such as COPD and symptomatic osteoarthritis
Outcome results
None listed