Comparisons of the body Composition and the effects of Physical activity on the Upper and Lower Limbs of the Female Post-Stroke Patients Jee Haemi* Department of Sports and Health Care, Namseoul University, 91 Daehak-ro Seonghwan-eup Sebuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, 31020, South Korea *Corresponding Author E-mail: amyjee@nsu.ac.kr
Online published on 16 May, 2018. Abstract Background/Objectives Various factors influence sarcopenia including neurological disorders such as stroke. However, little is known about the denervative influence of stroke in limb composition. Therefore, this study aims to compare upper and lower limb imbalances in Korean post-stroke females. Methods/Statistical analysis The Fourth and Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) with body composition results obtained from DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) were used for this study. Muscle and fat masses were utilized to compare composition imbalances and changes between the left and right upper and lower limbs of post-stroke group with reported limb paralysis and healthy. Furthermore, effects of physical activity were observed by comparing muscle and fat masses of regular walkers (≥3 days/week) and non-walkers (<3 days/week). Findings First, the left and right limb muscle and fat mass differences were compared. Although significances were not observed, greater tendency for fat contents were observed in both upper and lower limbs of the poststroke patients. Significantly greater muscle mass ratios were shown in the body upper and lower limbs of two groups. In order to further clarify influence of stroke in body composition, strong influential factor of physical activity was observed in post-stroke group. Significantly greater amount of muscle mass in both the upper and lower limbs were shown in the post-stroke group who performed regular physical activity. The results suggested that stroke may expatiate muscle and fat imbalances in both the upper and lower limbs. Moreover, fat accumulation seemed more prominent in post-stroke patients. However, regularly performed physical activity seemed to deter muscle atrophy. Improvements/Applications Results of this study may be utilized to further inform the stroke patients of the deterring effects of stroke and provide a guideline to prevent atrophic imbalance by regularly participating in physical activity. Top Keywords Stroke, atrophy, sarcopenia, denervation, physical activity. Top |