Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42515217›Full record

SynthesisSensors (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Effectiveness of Physical Rehabilitation Interventions on Walking Capacity and Wearable Sensor-Derived Performance After Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Joy C Ezeugwa, Aiza Khan, Deborah O Okusanya, Liz Dennett, Brian H Buck, Patricia J Manns, Victor E Ezeugwu

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Joy C EzeugwaFaculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.ORCID 0009-0006-3060-5571
Aiza KhanFaculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.
Deborah O OkusanyaFaculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.
Liz DennettGeoffrey and Robyn Sperber Health Sciences Library, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1H9, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-0758-5411
Brian H BuckDivision of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2B7, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-7984-6062
Patricia J MannsFaculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.
Victor E EzeugwuFaculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-7528-1228

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Improvements in walking capacity after stroke do not always translate into increased real-world performance, highlighting a critical gap in promoting long-term health after rehabilitation. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effects of physical rehabilitation interventions, including exercise, behaviour change techniques (BCTs), and combined approaches, on wearable sensor-derived movement behaviours and walking capacity in people with stroke. Four databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus) were searched through May 2026 for randomized controlled trials comparing these interventions with usual care or other interventions. Outcomes included steps per day, gait speed, and walking endurance (6-min walk test; 6MWT). Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted, reporting standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Thirty-one studies met inclusion criteria, and 26 distinct studies were included in the meta-analyses. For real-world performance, BCT-only interventions demonstrated the largest pooled effect estimate on steps per day (SMD = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.22-0.69), followed by combined BCT + Exercise interventions (SMD = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.10-0.66), while Exercise-only interventions showed a smaller but statistically significant effect (SMD = 0.23; 95% CI: 0.02-0.44). Conversely, Exercise-only interventions were the only category associated with statistically significant improvements in walking capacity, improving both self-selected gait speed (SMD = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.13-0.58) and walking endurance (6MWT; SMD = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.25-0.57). In contrast, neither combined BCT + Exercise nor BCT-only interventions demonstrated statistically significant effects across gait speed or endurance outcomes. These findings suggest that exercise improves walking capacity, whereas interventions incorporating BCTs may have greater effects on real-world walking performance after stroke.

Indexed as

StrokeStroke RehabilitationWalkingWearable Electronic DevicesExercise TherapyHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as Topicmeta-analysisprecision healthrehabilitationstrokewalkingwearable sensors

Identifiers

PMID42515217
PMCPMC13416881

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.