Chair‐stand exercise improves post‐stroke dysphagia

Aim To elucidate the effects of whole‐body exercise on clinical outcomes, including dysphagia status, between stroke patients with dysphagia who are undergoing convalescent rehabilitation. Methods This retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients with post‐stroke dysphagia in a rehabilitation hospital in Japan between 2016 and 2018. Dysphagia was defined as a Food Intake Level Scale (FILS) score <7. Participants were asked to perform a repeated chair‐stand exercise as a whole‐body exercise in addition to the convalescence rehabilitation program. Study outcomes included the FILS score and presence of dysphagia at discharge, the Functional Independence Measure‐motor (FIM‐motor) score and length of stay. Multivariate analyses were used to determine whether the frequency of daily chair‐stand exercise was independently associated with study outcomes, after adjusting for potential confounders; P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Of the 637 patients admitted, 148 stroke patients with dysphagia (mean age 72.7 years; 48.6% men) were included in the final analysis dataset. The median daily frequency of repeated chair‐stand exercise was 36 (12–65). In multivariate analyses, the frequency of chair‐stand exercise was independently associated with the FILS score at discharge (β = 0.231, P = 0.015), the presence of dysphagia at discharge (odds ratio: 0.982, P = 0.035), FIM‐motor at discharge (β = 0.205, P = 0.008) and its gain (β = 0.237, P = 0.013), and length of hospital stay (β = −0.042, P < 0.001). Conclusions Chair‐stand exercise is associated with preferable clinical outcomes, including dysphagia status, activities of daily living and length of hospital stay, in stroke patients with dysphagia. Post‐stroke dysphagia rehabilitation should include whole‐body exercises in addition to conventional rehabilitation programs. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 885–891 .