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Heart rate and subjective perception of exertion during backward walking at comfortable and maximal speed in adults with hemiparesis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Backward walking (BW) studies in healthy subjects have demonstrated that this exercise requires more oxygen consumption and cardiopulmonary effort compared to forward walking (FW). In patients after stroke, BW has proven to be a beneficial form of therapy to improve gait parameters. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are differences in heart rate (HR) and perceived exertion (PE) between FW and BW on a treadmill at two different speeds in individuals with hemiparesis. This may help to define the best strategy to put individuals in the target zone of an exercise aimed at improving cardiorespiratory conditions. METHODS: Participated in the study 13 male and female adults (53.7±13.5 years) with chronic sequelae of stroke (38.5±31.2 months of onset). The subjects performed BW task on the treadmill at comfortable speed and maximum speed and repeated the procedures during the FW at identical speeds. A two-way ANOVA was used to test the effect of directional orientation (BW and FW) and speed (comfortable and maximum) on HR and PE. RESULTS: The HR was greater for the BW in both speeds, and has increased with increasing speed (p < 0.01 for all comparisons). Similarly, the PE was higher in BW compared to FW in both speeds, and has increased with increasing speed (p < 0.01 for all comparisons). CONCLUSION: Walking backwards is a physical activity more intense than walking forward at the same speed for individuals with hemiparesis. This finding suggests that this activity could be used as an alternative method with emphasis on cardiopulmonary fitness and as a complement to other procedures in the rehabilitation of gait after stroke.

stroke; gait; physical exertion


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