Skeletal muscle metabolism after stroke: A comparative study using treadmill and overground walking test
Ana Paula C. Loureiro, Birgitta Langhammer, Terje Gjøvaag, Hege Ihle-Hansen, Luiz César Guarita-Souza
Department of Physical Therapy, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - School of Life Sciences,
80215-901 Curitiba, Brasil. E-mail: anna.loureiro@gmail.com
DOI: 10.2340/16501977-2255
Lay Abstract
This study evaluated the type of energy substrate used during walking test in 28 people who had suffered stroke. The skeletal muscle uses fat and carbohydrate (CHO) as fuel source during contractile activity. CHO stores are limited in muscles, thus a high rate of CHO oxidation during ordinary walking can affect endurance capacity and perceived fatigue. The fact that CHO was the primary fuel selected for the stroke participants during preferred walking speed, we believe may have influenced the levels of physical activity in persons with stroke. An improved understanding of substrate oxidation during walking in post stroke individuals is important, in order to adapt exercise to the optimal therapeutic modality.
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