Introduction:Stroke is a major public health concern and treating its complications is important for functional recov-ery. Heterotopic ossification (HO), a condition where bone is developed in non-skeletal tissue, is not an uncommon stroke-related complication with reported occurrence up to 12%. It typically presents with joint range of motion (ROM) limitation, pain and swelling. Detecting HO is important to prevent forceful joint manipulation during reha-bilitation that can cause pain and fracture. Two cases of diagnosing HO during the course of stroke rehabilitation are presented. Case description: First case was a subacute stroke in 25 year-old male with right-sided hemiparesis and right hip joint ROM limitation. He did not consent to have passive ROM exercise and refused to be seated due to severe right hip pain. Second case was a 41 year-old male with chronic right-sided hemiparetic stroke exhibiting ipsilateral lower limb neurological recovery but inability to perform bed mobility and walking despite regaining motor function. The right hip joint ROM was limited in the absence of pain. Radiographs demonstrated presence of HO in the affected hip of both patients. Gentle hip ROM exercise was prescribed and noted improvement in ROM with subsequent ability for sitting (first case) and short-distance ambulation (second case). Conclusion: HO should be considered as a differential diagnosis in stroke patients having limited ROM, hence the importance of thorough physical examination. Presence of HO would guide rehabilitation process by encouraging gentle ROM exercise in the attempt to reduce public health burden from halted functional recovery in stroke.
Rowing exercise is one of the cardiorespiratory exercises that induce higher aerobic capacity. Cardiorespiratory parameters, cardiac output (CO), stroke volume (SV), and heart rate (HR) are indicators to measure one’s cardiorespiratory fitness. The aim was to study the effects of 12-week rowing training on resting cardiac output (RCO), resting stroke volume (RSV), and resting heart rate (RHR) of stroke survivors. Ten stroke survivors (6 males; 4 females), mean age of 43.6 ± 16.15 years, were subjected to a 12-week rowing training (Concept II Rowing Ergometer, Model C, USA). An individualised programme was prescribed based on %HRR for each of stroke individual. Rowing training was conducted twice per week (12 HIIT; 12 MR). Paired t-test and repeated measures ANOVA (RPM ANOVA) were used for statistical analyses using IBM® SPSS® Statistics 20 software. RPM ANOVA analysis showed no significant effect on RCO [F (5, 45) = 1.066, p = 0.392, RSV [F (2.188, 19.693) = 0.677, p = 0.532)], and RHR [F (5, 45) = 0.856, p = 0.518]. Paired t-test showed no significant difference between pre- and posttest despite the improved values of Mean ± Standard Deviation (RCO: 8129.50 ± 3916.31 to 8494.18 ± 6248.86 mL/min; RSV: 99.27 ± 33.98 to 121.84 ± 66.24 mL; RHR: 78.02 ± 17.39 to 77.17 ± 11.98 bpm) for all respective parameters. Twelve weeks rowing training did not improve resting cardiorespiratory parameters of stroke survivors statistically. Future studies are suggested to include gender difference and medication effect variables.