Energy expenditure and effort of patients with stroke during sit to stand: A pilot study

Background: Sit-to-stand (STS) is a mechanically demanding task. Little is known about the energy expenditure (EE) and the perceived effort of patients with stroke during STS.Objectives: The objectives of our study were to assess the perceived effort and EE of patients with stroke when moving from STS and to determine whether an association between actual energy expended and patient-perceived effort exists.Method: This descriptive cross-sectional pilot study assessed participants’ EE and perceived effort during STS, with a triaxial accelerometer and the modified Borg scale (MBS), respectively.Results: The team screened 428 individuals for potential inclusion, with nine participants (n = 5 female, 55.5%) meeting the criteria for our pilot study. Participants had a mean age of 52.77 (standard deviation [SD] ± 11.33) years, the majority had a haemorrhagic stroke (n = 6, 66.6%) and left hemiplegia (n = 6, 66.6%), and they were assessed 9.11 (SD ± 6.57) days post-stroke. The mean EE during STS was 2.82 (SD ± 1.9) kCal. Most participants (n = 7, 77.77%) perceived STS as more than a ‘moderate’ effort on the MBS. The correlation coefficient between the metabolic equivalent of task (METs) and MBS was r = 0.34 (p = 0.38).Conclusion: Our study found a fair positive correlation between METs and MBS for patients with stroke during STS.Clinical implications: The increased EE shown can be a key point for rehabilitation to lessen the extent of EE during STS. Further research is warranted.