Yoga and self-management for people with chronic stroke: Effect on community reintegration and perceived activity constraints

After a stroke, it is common for individuals to experience challenges in both perceived activity constraints and community reintegration. Few interventions have addressed these two important variables that are related to post-stroke life and recovery. The objective was to assess the impact of an 8-week intervention on perceived activity constraints and community reintegration among individuals with chronic stroke. This noncontrolled pilot study with pre- and post-test design included 13 people with chronic stroke who completed group yoga and self-management intervention. Assessments were completed at baseline and at the completion of the 8-week intervention. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests to compare baseline and 8-week scores. Additionally, the correlation between activity constraints and community reintegration scores among this sample was analyzed. The average age of the 13 participants was 73.23 years, and 77 percent of the participants sustained a stroke >5 years ago. Perceived activity constraint scores improved significantly (76.82 ± 10.97 vs. 87.08 ± 9.5, p = 0.005; 13 percent change), as did community reintegration scores (79.25 ± 15.45 vs. 97.92 ± 11.46, p = 0.004; or a 24 percent improvement). Perceived activity constraint and Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNLI) scores demonstrated an excellent and significant correlation (rs = 0.864, p = 0.001). When working with people with chronic stroke, rehabilitation therapists may consider self-management combined with yoga. Due to the correlation between community reintegration and perceived activity constraints, potentially rehabilitation therapists, including recreational therapists, may target perceived activity constraints to improve community reintegration.