Abstract
Objective
To examine if 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in addition to standard
care would increase and maintain peak oxygen uptake (Vo2peak) more than standard care alone in patients with stroke.
Design
This was a single-blind, multicenter, parallel group, randomized controlled trial.
Setting
Specialized rehabilitation units at 3 Norwegian hospitals.
Participants
Participants (N=70), 3 months to 5 years after first-ever stroke, were randomly assigned
to the intervention group (n=36) or the control group (n=34); 42% were women, mean
age was 57.6±9.3 years, mean time post stroke was 26.4±14.5 months.
Intervention
The intervention was 8 weeks: 3 times a week with HIIT treadmill training with work
periods of 4 × 4 minutes at 85%-95% of peak heart rate interspersed with 3 minutes
of active recovery at 50%-70% of peak heart rate. The control group received standard
care according to national guidelines.
Outcomes
The primary outcome, analyzed by intention-to-treat, was Vo2peak measured as liters per minute 12 months after inclusion. Secondary outcome measures
were blood pressure and blood profile.
Results
Mean baseline Vo2peak was 2.63±1.08 L·min−1 vs 2.87±0.71 L·min−1, while at 12 months Vo2peak was 2.70±1.00 L·min−1 vs 2.67±0.76 L·min−1 (P=.068) in the intervention and control groups, respectively. There was a significant
and greater improvement in the intervention group compared with the control group
at 12 months in 3 of 6 secondary outcomes from the peak test but no significant differences
for blood pressure or blood profile.
Conclusions
The HIIT intervention, which was well-tolerated in this sample of well-functioning
survivors of stroke, was not superior to standard care in improving and maintaining
Vo2peak at the 12-month follow-up. However, secondary results from the peak test showed a
significant improvement from before to immediately after the intervention.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
HIIT (high-intensity interval training), PT (physical therapist), Vo2peak (peak oxygen uptake)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 04, 2020
Footnotes
Supported by the Liaison Committee for education, research, and innovation in Central Norway.
Clinical Trial Registration No.: NCT02550015.
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
