Assessment of changes in muscle mass, strength, and quality and activities of daily living in elderly stroke patients.
Hiroshi Irisawa, Takashi Mizushima
PMID 35170496WHAT IT FOUND
Stroke patients improved activities of daily living over four weeks when muscle strength and muscle quality improved.
Muscle mass did not track recovery and even tended to fall, so mass is a poor marker of rehabilitation progress.
Key findings
01Functional independence, muscle strength, and muscle quality improved over four weeks, while muscle mass did not increase significantly.
02Functional recovery was more closely related to improved muscle strength and muscle quality than to muscle mass.
03Greater recovery of muscle strength and phase angle was associated with functional recovery, while greater recovery of body muscle percentage was not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Patients with a pacemaker, high baseline ADL score, severe cognitive impairment, severe dysphasia, or early discharge were excluded, so the findings apply to a narrower group of inpatient stroke patients. All participants were Japanese, and phase angle values vary by race and age, so the measured values may not transfer directly to other populations. The study did not track nutritional status, diet changes, or route of administration, although these can affect muscle strength, muscle quality, and muscle mass. The study included only patients receiving rehabilitation, so it cannot compare rehabilitation with no rehabilitation.
Declared interests
The paper states there are no conflicts of interest. No funding source is given.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that increasing muscle mass will improve daily living. Muscle mass did not improve significantly and was not associated with functional recovery.