Estimation of energy expenditure and physical activity level of stroke patients with hemiparesis during static and dynamic physical activities.

Details

Supervisors

Areno, Gilles

Faculty

Faculté des sciences de la motricité

Degree label

Master [60] en kinésithérapie et réadaptation

Abstract

Accelerometers are small devices able to objectively measure the individual’s physical activity. Their reliability is well established for healthy adults but is still questionable for stroke patients due to the lack of evidence. Thus, the main objective of this study was to assess if the ActiGraph GT3x ® accelerometer can be used for estimating the energy expenditure (in METs) and level of physical activity of stroke patients with hemiparesis during static and dynamic activities. 30 hemiparetic stroke patients were recruited to participate in our study. Patients performed five physical activities (i.e., lying, sitting, standing, stepping in place, walking on a treadmill), wearing four accelerometers placed on the non-paretic and paretic ankles and hips to record activity counts, a facial mask connected to an ergospirometer (COSMED Quark PFT ®) to record their oxygen consumption and a chest strap to monitor their heart rate. A linear regression analysis was performed between activity counts recorded from the accelerometers and the energy expenditure (METs) obtained from the ergospirometer. Our results reveal that a reliable estimation of the energy expenditure and physical activity level of hemiparetic stroke patients are obtained by the accelerometers worn either on the non-paretic side of the ankle (R² = 0.812) or on the paretic side of the waist (R² = 0.725). This has an interest for physiotherapists to optimise the physical activity and rehabilitation of their patients.