Therapeutic Exercise for Patients With Stroke

The aim of this prospective, single-centre, non-randomized, single-arm interventional study is to evaluate changes in muscle strength, lower-limb functional capacity, aerobic endurance, and patient satisfaction following participation in the EINTER group-based therapeutic exercise programme in adults with post-stroke impairments admitted to the Long- and Medium-Stay Neurorehabilitation Unit at Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet in Zaragoza, Spain. Participants will be assigned to receive the EINTER programme during their hospital stay. The programme combines supervised aerobic and progressive strength training and is delivered in small groups of up to four patients per physiotherapist for a maximum of four weeks. Functional assessments will be performed before starting the programme and after completion of the intervention or at hospital discharge. Muscle strength will be assessed using the Medical Research Council scale, lower-limb functional capacity using the 30-Second Sit-to-Stand Test, and aerobic endurance and walking capacity using the 2-Minute Walk Test. Participant satisfaction will also be assessed at the end of the programme. There will be no control group or random allocation. Changes in outcomes will therefore be evaluated using within-participant pre-post comparisons.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older. * Confirmed diagnosis of stroke. * Admission to the Long- and Medium-Stay Neurorehabilitation Unit at Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet. * Sufficient clinical, cognitive, and functional capacity to participate safely in the EINTER therapeutic exercise programme, as assessed by the multidisciplinary clinical team. * Ability to understand and follow the instructions required to perform the therapeutic exercise programme and study assessments, with appropriate communication support when needed. * Provision of informed consent to participate in the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of a medical or clinical contraindication to therapeutic exercise. * Clinical instability that prevents safe participation in the intervention. * Severe cognitive, behavioural, communication, or functional impairment that prevents safe participation in the programme or completion of the required study procedures, as determined by the multidisciplinary clinical team. * Any other clinical condition considered by the treating team to make participation in the EINTER programme unsafe.