Exercise Tolerance for Operating a Wheelchair in Patients with Cerebrovascular Disorder-associated Hemiplegia

We investigated exercise tolerance for driving a wheelchair, the means of moving in daily life for patients with cerebrovascular disorder-associated hemiplegia who have difficulty with walking. The subjects were 15 inpatients with cerebrovascular disorder-associated hemiplegia at our center (62.3 ± 9.3 years old). Physical therapists selected an appropriate standard wheelchair for the patient's body, and analyzed expiratory gas while drividing the wheelchair. Using a respiratory metabolism measurement system, the patient kept a resting sitting position until the heart rate reached a steady state, then drove the wheelchair for 6 minutes. A positive correlation was observed between the VO2 and heart rate during exercise driving a wheelchair in patients with cerebrovascular disorder-associated hemiplegia (p<0.05). We suggest that driving a wheelchair is a useful means of moving that maintains stable posture for patients with cerebrovascular disorder-associated hemiplegia who have difficulty with walking, and that exercise by driving a wheelchair may be applied to HR management as training.