Effects of enriched task-specific training on sit-to-stand tasks in individuals with chronic stroke.

There was no comparison group, so the chair-stand gains cannot be separated from time, background treatment, or expectation. The chair used at one baseline differed from the chair used later, which the authors say may have made scores look better. The kinetic analysis included only three participants, and the two-standard-deviation band method can be strongly influenced by one outlier in small data. The kinetic analysis looked at peak vertical force in each phase, not the whole force pattern during the phase. This was a secondary analysis of existing exploratory data, not a new controlled trial.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Funding came from the AinaWallström’s and Mary-Ann Sjöblom’s Foundation, Peter Eriksson Foundation, the Swedish state ALF-agreement, Promobilia foundation, the Swedish Stroke Association, Rune and Ulla Amlöv’s foundation, and Renée Eander Foundation.

Do not conclude that task-specific exercise alone caused the improved chair-stand scores. The training package also included socialization, sensory stimulation, and cognitive stimulation, and there was no comparison group. The chair used at baseline also differed from the chair used later, which the authors say may have made scores look better.