People who suffer strokes often have difficulty walking, which leads to deconditioning and decreased fitness. Exercising on a treadmill increases fitness and may improve brain function in stroke patients, according to study published online last week in the journal Stroke.

Researchers from Switzerland and their colleagues at John Hopkins University and the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center compared the brain and physical function of 37 stroke patients who worked on a treadmill three times a week with 34 stroke patients who performed traditional stretching exercises. They found that, after six months, the patients who exercised on a treadmill had better cardiovascular fitness and walking speed. The treadmill patients also showed evidence of increased blood flow and oxygen delivery to certain parts of the brain.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the study was that the treadmill program was started an average of over four years after the stroke occurred, suggesting that improvement can occur long after a stroke. This is a promising finding which could change the way that doctors manage stroke patients, leading to improvements in their fitness and quality of life.