Community ambulation after stroke: how important and obtainable is it and what measures appear predictive?

Virtual reality-based training improves community ambulation in individuals with stroke: A randomized controlled trial

“…In recent years, the emphasis has been extended to focus on the ability of community ambulation. It has been reported that only a small proportion can walk with sufficient ability to function effectively within the community [1,2]. Patla and Shumway-Cook [3] developed an operational definition of community mobility that included eight environmental dimensions: ambient conditions, terrain characteristics, external physical load, attentional demands, postural transition, traffic level, time constraints, and walking distance.…”

Functional resources to increase gait speed in people with stroke: Strategies adopted compared to healthy controls

“…Indeed, gait velocity of stroke sufferers influences their participation in activities of daily life [1][2][3]. In fact, preferred (known also as natural or self-selected) velocity, which is the gait speed a person exhibits spontaneously when walking at ease, is considered an indicator of overall gait performance.…”

Physical environments and community reintegration post stroke: qualitative insights from stroke clubs

“…In line with past research, focus group discussions with 29 persons with experience of stroke revealed participants' strong desires to spend time outside the home (Hammel et al 2006;Lord et al 2004), interact with others (Salter et al 2008) and engage in a variety of functional, social and recreational activities (Kubina et al 2013;Wood, Connelly, and Maly 2010). Such findings further affirm the importance to stroke survivors of processes pertinent to community reintegration Wood, Connelly, and Maly 2010), where community reintegration is understood as an individual's return to functional, social and recreational activities and interactions with family members and others (Pang, eng, and Miller 2007).…”

“…All participants were sufficiently competent, confident and comfortable to leave their homes and attend on their own a stroke club that met in a public setting and undertook outings to diverse public places. The perspectives and experiences of these individuals may well differ from those presenting lower, or indeed higher, levels of community reintegration (Lord et al 2004). Individuals presenting lower levels might have found it more difficult to identify enjoyable environments because they might be expected to find more environments problematic and/or experience more environmental barriers.…”