Anna M Strommen, Thomas Christensen and Kai Jensen
Objective: The purpose of the study was to quantitatively measure the amount of physical activity during standardized activities using accelerometers in patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) in order to compare different physical activities based on objective measurements.
Methods: Thirteen hospitalized TIA patients performed 11 different standardized activities with 5 Actical accelerometers attached to both wrists and ankles and the hip. The output was registered as activity counts (AC). Total AC were the sum of AC from all five accelerometers.
Results: Higher total AC/minute were found in more intensive activities, e.g. the median total AC/minute were 11216 (IQR 8447-14153) during climbing stairs and 22 (IQR 12-42) during sleep.
Conclusion: The study demonstrates that it is possible to compare different physical activities based on amounts of AC/minute obtained during standardized activities in TIA patients. Accelerometer outputs recorded during standardized physical activities enable future tailoring of specific rehabilitation programs for individual stroke patients aiming at a certain amount of AC by combining different specific physical activities.