With their reputation for putting participants through a punishing regime of cardio exercises, military-style fitness workouts are not for the faint-hearted.
So imagine enrolling for boot camp training when you’ve suffered a stroke.
But that’s just what stroke patients in South Australia are being given the chance to do to help them on the road to recovery.
The University of South Australia (UniSA) has created an innovative five-week take on the stereotypical idea of a boot camp that is delivering life-changing results for people affected by strokes.
According to UniSA, which is located in the stunning Limestone Coast region of South East Australia, initial results show outcomes from the ‘stroke bootcamp’ that are three times better than standard treatments.
The stroke recovery clinic for people needing ongoing rehabilitation in their arms and hands is being led by UniSA physiotherapy students under the guidance of practitioners, and has been supported by an $80,000 grant from The Hospital Research Foundation Group (HRF).
Physiotherapist and UniSA researcher, Dr Brenton Hordacre
Physiotherapist and UniSA researcher, Dr Brenton Hordacre, said preliminary data and patient results showed the programme is highly effective.
He said: “After a stroke, many patients cannot move their bodies in the same way they used to. And practically, this might mean they can no longer grasp a coffee mug or bring a fork to their mouth during mealtimes.
“Our programme focussed on helping people regain these fundamental movements, so they get back some sense of normalcy, independence, and a higher quality of life.
“Our initial results show that improvements to patients’ upper limb function are almost three times the clinically meaningful change score we use to measure arm recovery.
“We’re also finding that patients are really enjoying the intensive rehab – and want to do more.
“Going into the programme, we also thought there was a risk that patients would not enjoy it, because the rehab was too challenging or intense. However, what we’ve found is that patients really enjoy the programme, and the results they’re seeing, and don’t want to leave.”
The exercises are tailored to improve essential skills that most people take for granted. They can include practicing writing on a white board and trying to pick up marbles with a finger and thumb to improve motor activities.
The UniSA physiotherapy students work with patients for up to three hours a day, five days a week, to provide personalised support and guidance to help the stroke recovery process.
In Australia, there are more than 100 strokes every day. One in four people will experience a stroke in their lifetime.
According to the World Stroke Organisation, more than 12 million people globally will suffer their first stroke this year, and 6.5 million will die as a result. More than 110 million people worldwide have experienced a stroke.
In response to the success of the stroke bootcamp, the UniSA team is looking at how to expand the intensive programme to a supervised `drop-in’ service.
Dr Brenton Hordacre with stroke survivor Adrian Fitzgerald
Dr Hordacre commented: “The best available evidence for upper-limb recovery points towards more practice. Stroke patients say they want more intense, longer therapy to help restore their arm movements.
“Thanks to the HRF grant, we can meet this need and establish a dedicated upper-limb stroke recovery service for community patients that will deliver intensive, high-dose therapy.”
Because of the student-led programme, the service has been delivered at a lower cost to patients and they are also provided with home-based exercises and take-home kits.
Executive Director of The Hospital Research Foundation Group’s Stroke division, Olivia Nassaris, said: “There is a huge need for more rehabilitation both for the early and later stages of stroke recovery.
“Up to 65 per cent of patients have persistent upper-limb impairment and are unable to incorporate their paretic hand in their daily activities.
“Other studies worldwide have shown that greater improvement can be achieved with higher doses of therapy, so we are very excited about putting this into practice for our clients and positioning South Australia as a leader in stroke recovery.”