Walking After Stroke. Measurement and Recovery Over the First 3 Months

TLDR

The study longitudinally assessed walking speed in 60 stroke survivors and 64 matched controls over the first three months post‑stroke to classify speed as slow or normal. Among the 60 patients, 14 maintained walking speed, 15 never regained walking ability, and one remained verbally dependent; of the 30 who improved, only 10 returned to normal speed and 8 still required a physical aid at three months, illustrating a wide range of recovery and supporting the use of a 10‑metre gait test as a reliable, underused measure.

Abstract

Sixty surviving patients had their walking ability and speed assessed regularly over the first 3 months after an acute stroke. Sixty-four matched controls were studied to allow categorisation of speed as 'slow' or 'normal'. Fourteen patients never had any significant loss of walking speed; fifteen patients never recovered the ability to walk and one patient remained dependent upon verbal support. Of the 30 showing significant recovery, only 10 regained normal speed, and 8 remained dependent upon a physical aid at 3 months. Plotting individual recovery curves of walking speed over time showed the wide range of change which may be expected. It is argued that timing of gait over 10 metres is a valid reliable measure that is currently underused.