Mobility Function and Recovery After Stroke: Preliminary Insights From Sympathetic Nervous System Activity.

Only 31 adults after stroke were tested, and only 9 completed the intervention, all from a convenience sample in an ongoing trial. The intervention group had no non-intervention control group, so repeated assessment, practice, or time could have contributed to changes. The intervention combined gait coordination training with balance and strength exercises, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. The intervention was not designed specifically to reduce the perceived challenge of walking. Walking speed was not controlled across tasks, which may have reduced task challenge and underestimated skin conductance responses. No concurrent self-reported measure of perceived challenge was taken after each task, so skin conductance was not compared directly with what participants felt. Test-retest reliability of skin conductance after stroke was not established, and the associations with gait outcomes were not statistically significant.

No conflicts of interest were declared.

Do not conclude that the rehabilitation caused the reduced skin conductance. The intervention subset had no control group, was assessed twice on the same walking tasks, and received coordination, balance, and strength training together, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.