Very Early Mobilization After Stroke Fast-Tracks Return to Walking

Abstract

Background and Purpose—: Regaining functional independence is an important goal for people who have experienced stroke. We hypothesized that introducing earlier and more intensive out-of-bed activity after stroke would reduce time to unassisted walking and improve independence in activities of daily living. Methods—: A Very Early Rehabilitation Trial (AVERT) was a phase II randomized controlled trial. Patients with confirmed stroke (infarct or hemorrhage) admitted P =0.032; median 3.5 vs 7.0 days). Multivariable regression revealed that exposure to very early and intensive mobilization was independently associated with good functional outcome on the Barthel Index at 3 months ( P =0.008) and on the Rivermead Motor Assessment at 3 ( P =0.050) and 12 ( P =0.024) months. Conclusions—: Earlier and more intensive mobilization after stroke may fast-track return to unassisted walking and improve functional recovery. Clinical Trial Registration—: This trial was not registered because enrollment began before July 2005.