To describe the experiences of thrice-weekly supervised cardiorespiratory interval training over eight weeks in people with post-stroke fatigue.
Individual interviews were conducted with 10 informants who had completed 8 weeks of interval training. The interviews were guided by a semi-structured guide with open-ended questions. Specially we were intrested in their experiences of the training regimen, the study procedure and the potential effects on their fatigue. The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and inductively analysed using qualitative content analyse.
The preliminary analysis resulted in a theme “Supervised cardiorespiratory interval training reduced fatigue increased strength and exercise self-efficacy. This had a positive impact on quality of life”. The theme was based on three main categories: “Content and disposition of the intervention”, “Impact on everyday living” and “Effects directly connected to the intervention”.
In summary, the informants reported that participating in a physiotherapist supervised, thrice weekly cardiorespiratory interval training made them feel stronger both physically and mentally. This allowed them to live their lives in a way that was more similar to their lives before their stroke. They were no longer restricted by lack of confidence in performing activities that increased their heart rate.
The preliminary results of this study contributes new knowledge on the importance of offering exercise based cardiorespiratory training to people with severe post-stroke fatigue. Cardiorespiratory training is not only a crucial component in secondary prevention, but may also be important in managing post-stroke fatigue.
- Cardiorespiratory training is a promising form of fatigue management for people with more severe post-stroke fatigue.
- Benefits of the intervention was described to transfer to activity and participation in everyday life
- Supervision allowed the informants to undertake more intensive interval training.
cardiorespiratory training
qualitative study
