Poststroke Effects on Power Production in Older Adults

摘要

Muscular power is an important performance component to emphasize in older adults following stroke. Aging affects neuromuscular function reducing strength and power; in turn, this loss is exacerbated in clients with stroke. Stroke can impact both ipsilateral and contralateral extremity power production, which correlates with reduced function in gait, transfers, and impaired hand use. A variety of objective clinical tests assess lower extremity power production. Studies demonstrate that exercise regimens that improve muscular power improve function poststroke. Future research should focus on best practice interventions to maximize extremity power in this population of older adults.