Characteristics of subacute stroke patients who achieve earlier independence in real-life walking performance during hospitalization.

The study was retrospective and used existing records, so it cannot show that any factor caused faster or slower recovery. All patients were in one Japanese convalescent hospital receiving a standardised programme, so the results may not apply to other settings. Independence was measured only as walking in a structured hospital ward, not in complex community environments. Patients who did not reach the walking score by discharge were censored at discharge, so achievement after discharge was not observed. The paper did not record the specific content or intensity of each patient's rehabilitation, so differences in therapy cannot be ruled out. Patients with prior stroke, no paralysis, very short stays, and other conditions were excluded, so the findings apply to a selected subacute hemiplegic stroke group.

Do not read these admission scores as proof that a therapy caused faster walking independence. This was a retrospective observational study of existing records, so it describes factors associated with earlier achievement, not tested interventions.