General endurance in hemiplegic patients: comparison between healthy subjects and hemiplegics using the incremental stand-up exercise-load method.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the utility of our newly devised method (incremental stand-up exercise-load) to determine features of general endurance in hemiplegic patients. SUBJECTS/PATIENTS Participants were 15 healthy adults and 15 hemiplegics, with 13 men and 2 women in each group. METHODS To evaluate endurance, the subjects were required to assume a sitting position on a bed for 3 minutes and thereafter repeat standing-sitting (SS) movements. Successively increasing loads were imposed by increasing the frequency of repetition of the SS movements. An expired gas analyzer measured the magnitude of general endurance. Results were compared between the two groups using the anaerobic threshold (AT) as an indicator. RESULTS The AT value was determinable in 80% of subjects in both groups. The AT values in hemiplegics (10.4 +/- 2.0 ml/min/kg) were significantly (p<0.01) less than those (17.3 +/- 3.0 ml/min/kg) in controls. Time of imposition of the load in hemiplegics (11 min 7 s +/- 13 min 45 s) were significantly (p<0.01) less than those (27 min 0 s +/- 7 min 36 s) in controls. CONCLUSION This newly devised method that does not require special equipment is suitable to examine general endurance in hemiplegic patients.