Premorbid physical activity is modestly associated with gait independence after a stroke: an exploratory study

BACKGROUND: Regaining physical function after a stroke is important for independence and for performing activities of daily living. Particularly, cerebrovascular disease, which includes stroke, is not entirely avoidable. In the present study, we aimed to observe the association between premorbid physical activities and gait independence after a stroke. METHODS: Consecutive cerebrovascular stroke patients were asked to fill a questionnaire regarding their premorbid physical activities. The association between gait independence at the completion of in-hospital rehabilitation and premorbid physical activities, as well as age, stroke type, lesion size, and comorbidities, was investigated statistically. RESULTS: Of 130 consecutive patients with stroke who answered the questionnaire regarding their premorbid physical activities, 97 regained gait independence. Ambulation and occupational or household activities were most frequently performed by all the participants before stroke onset. Participants who acquired gait independence tended to indicate various premorbid activities compared to participants who did not recover gait independence. Estimating premorbid physical activities in metabolic equivalents suggested that moderate to vigorous activities were associated with an increased probability of post-stroke independent gait but this tendency was dismissed after multivariate analysis including age and history of stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Premorbid physical activity is associated with gait independence after a stroke, but this association is not as strong as those of age or history of stroke. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s11556-018-0208-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.