NEW YORK (Reuters Health) ¿ Repeated practice of tasks similar to those commonly performed in daily life can improve mobility after stroke, according to a review of studies published online in The Cochrane Library.

Stroke can cause problems with movement, often down just one side. All limbs can be affected, and while some people recover function over time, about one third will continue to have problems.

To see if repetitive task training can ameliorate these problems, Dr. Beverley French, of the University of Central Lancashire, England, and colleagues reviewed 14 randomised controlled studies involving 659 stroke survivors. In general, these patients were assigned to usual care or no intervention, or to an intervention where they repeatedly practiced everyday tasks or movements associated with these tasks, such as buttoning clothes, walking up steps, reaching for items, or standing from a sitting position.

The interventions usually consisted of one-hour sessions, three to five times a week for six to eight weeks.

In comparison to usual care or no intervention, people who practiced daily tasks showed modest improvements in walking speed, walking distance, and the ability to stand from a sitting position.