Improved Recovery In Patients Who Exercised Prior To Stroke

Another reason to train, not exercise.

"A person who has exercised regularly prior to the onset of a stroke appears to recover more quickly, say researchers from Mayo Clinic in Florida, who led a national study.

In the July 2009 issue of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, the researchers reported that stroke patients who had previously exercised regularly before a stroke occurred were significantly more likely to have milder impairments and, thus, were better able to care for themselves, compared to patients who rarely exercised.

'It appears that exercise is very beneficial to people at risk of developing a stroke,' says Mayo Clinic neurologist James Meschia, M.D., the study's lead investigator. 'Many studies have shown that exercise can reduce the risk of developing a stroke in the first place, and this study suggests that if an active person does have a stroke, outcomes can be improved.'"

If a problem is going to happen to you, you may as well be in the best position to recover from it.