Healthcare Provider Brochure References

The Stroke.Fitness programme is informed by the following peer-reviewed evidence. Our team publishes in peer-reviewed journals on the bilateral movement training and brain network reconnection methods that underpin our programme [16,17]; additional studies are in preparation and expected in 2026. 

1. Billinger SA, Arena R, Bernhardt J, et al. Physical activity and exercise recommendations for stroke survivors: a statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2014;45(8):2532–2553.

2. Krakauer JW. Motor learning: its relevance to stroke recovery and neurorehabilitation. Curr Opin Neurol. 2006;19(1):84–90.

3. Cramer SC. Repairing the human brain after stroke: I. Mechanisms of spontaneous recovery. Ann Neurol. 2008;63(3):272–287.

4. Saunders DH, Sanderson M, Hayes S, et al. Physical fitness training for stroke patients. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;3(3):CD003316.

5. Langhorne P, Bernhardt J, Kwakkel G. Stroke rehabilitation. Lancet. 2011;377(9778):1693–1702.

6. Feigin VL, Brainin M, Norrving B, et al. World Stroke Organization (WSO): Global Stroke Fact Sheet 2022. Int J Stroke. 2022;17(1):18–29.

7. Wein T, Lindsay MP, Côté R, et al. Canadian stroke best practice recommendations: secondary prevention of stroke, sixth edition practice guidelines, update 2017. Int J Stroke. 2018;13(4):420–443.

8. Tyson S, Connell L. The psychometric properties and clinical utility of measures of walking and mobility in neurological conditions: a systematic review. Clin Rehabil. 2009;23(11):1018–1033.

9. Podsiadlo D, Richardson S. The timed “Up & Go”: a test of basic functional mobility for frail elderly persons. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1991;39(2):142–148.

10. Dimyan MA, Cohen LG. Neuroplasticity in the context of motor rehabilitation after stroke. Nat Rev Neurol. 2011;7(2):76–85.

11. Ward NS. Restoring brain function after stroke — bridging the gap between animals and humans. Nat Rev Neurol. 2017;13(4):244–255.

12. Nudo RJ. Recovery after brain injury: mechanisms and principles. Front Hum Neurosci. 2013;7:887.

13. Kempen GI, Yardley L, van Haastregt JC, et al. The Short FES-I: a shortened version of the Falls Efficacy Scale–International to assess fear of falling. Age Ageing. 2008;37(1):45–50.

14. Taylor-Rowan M, Cuthbertson G, Keir R, et al. The prevalence of frailty among acute stroke survivors and its association with outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Stroke J. 2023;8(4):821–831.

15. Ploughman M, Kelly LP. Four birds with one stone? Reparative, neuroplastic, cardiorespiratory, and metabolic benefits of aerobic exercise poststroke. Curr Opin Neurol. 2016;29(6):684–692.

16. Kuipers JA, Hoffman N, Carrick FR, Jemni M. Post-stroke rehabilitation: neurophysiology processes of bilateral movement training and interlimb coupling — a systematic review. J Clin Med. 2025;14(11):3757. doi:10.3390/jcm14113757.

17. Kuipers JA, Hoffman NH, Carrick FR, Jemni M. Reconnecting brain networks after stroke: a scoping review of conventional, neuromodulatory, and feedback-driven rehabilitation approaches. Brain Sci. 2025;15(11):1217. doi:10.3390/brainsci15111217.