Grant: CIHR-ICRH Travel Awards - General pool

Up to 30% of stroke survivors will go on to have another stroke. To prevent another stroke, there are several factors that one could try to change. High blood pressure is the most important factor that one can change. Exercise can lower blood pressure. New research recommends exercise during rehabilitation with a higher steps counts and heart rates for better walking recovery over usual care. This type of exercise is also known as high repetition walking therapy. However, we do not know if this type of exercise can reduce blood pressure in people who are undergoing stroke rehabilitation. This study determined whether high repetition walking therapy can reduce blood pressure in people undergoing stroke rehabilitation compared to those receiving usual care over the first 12-months after stroke. We found no difference in blood pressure between those who completed high repetition walking therapy and usual care. In fact, blood pressure continued to increase in all participants over the first 12-months after stroke, regardless of the type of therapy they received. These findings indicate the need to find new ways to reduce blood pressure after stroke rehabilitation.