Outdoor bicycle training following stroke: protocol development, feasibility testing and application guidelines.
Myriam Villeneuve, Julie Piché, Antoinette Busch and 1 others
PMID 41868963WHAT IT FOUND
Five stroke survivors with mild-to-moderate deficits completed a 3-week group outdoor cycling program.
All rated it highly satisfying and improved confidence and personal cycling goals. Balance and general mobility scores did not change significantly, and two minor falls occurred.
Key findings
01All five participants reported being very satisfied with the intervention, including the teaching procedures, progression, and therapist ratio.
02Participants significantly improved in self-reported confidence in bicycling skills and achieved their personal cycling goals, with four of five surpassing or greatly surpassing their targets.
03There were no significant improvements in standard balance (Mini-BESTest) or single-task mobility (TUG), though dual-task mobility (CogTUG) improved.
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
The sample size was very small (n=5), limiting the generalizability of the findings. Participants were highly selected, having mild-to-moderate impairments, good balance (Berg >45), and normal cognition, so results do not apply to most stroke survivors. The study was a feasibility pilot, not a randomized controlled trial, so efficacy cannot be confirmed. There was a gender imbalance (4 males, 1 female). The short duration (3 weeks) may not have been sufficient to detect changes in broader outcomes like balance or leisure participation.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial support was received for this work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the improvements in cycling confidence and personal goals as evidence that outdoor cycling improves general balance or mobility. The study showed no significant change in standard balance or single-task mobility measures, and the sample was too small and highly selected to support broad efficacy claims.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →