Effects of Treadmill Exercise on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation-Induced Excitability to Quadriceps After Stroke
By Forrester, Larry W., PhD; Hanley, Daniel F., MD; Macko, Richard F., MD; Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol. 87, No. 2, pp. 229-234Publication Date: February 2006
Study conducted to determine the characteristics of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)–induced measures of central motor excitability to the paretic and nonparetic quadriceps muscles of chronic hemiparetic stroke patients during short-term treadmill exercise. Studies have demonstrated that progressive treadmill training programs can improve strength in the quadriceps muscles of people who have had a stroke. A total of 11 people with chronic hemiparetic gait participated in the study. Sessions were conducted three times a week for six months, while the participants exercised at sixty percent of their heart rate reserve. The results indicated that treadmill training for three months or longer has the potential to change the responsiveness of the lower extremity central motor pathways. Implications for future research are discussed.
Published by: W.B. Saunders Company, a division of Elsevier Health Sciences (Website:http://us.elsevierhealth.com)
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Web Site: http://www.aapmr.org/ )
American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (Web Site: http://www.acrm.org )
