Muscle Atrophy, Physical Performance and Glucose Tolerance Post Stroke

Stroke, a leading cause of disability in the aging population, increases the risk for diabetes, subsequent stroke recurrence, and cardiovascular disease complications. The downsizing of private and federal health care resources, along with the anticipated increase in stroke rates as our population ages, mandate that alternative strategies be developed to reduce the public health burden of stroke. This pilot study may facilitate our knowledge of the timing of paretic leg muscle atrophy, fiber type shift, and the progression of worsening of glucose tolerance after stroke. Knowledge of the skeletal muscle changes occurring in the sub-acute stroke period is essential to create new guidelines incorporating exercise rehabilitation, much like cardiac rehabilitation, in order to facilitate and improve the health care of veteran stroke survivors.