A recent systematic review learn more examined the content of physiotherapy sessions aimed at improving motor function during stroke rehabilitation with respect to time spent in physical activity.3 This review identified three previous studies, all of which used video recordings of therapy sessions for people with stroke in inpatient rehabilitation settings similar to the current study. Only one of the studies included circuit class therapy sessions. The amount of walking practice per therapy session in the current study (11.8 and 10.5 minutes

in individual and circuit class therapy sessions, respectively) was very similar to that reported in the previous studies (10 minutes). In the only other study to report average number of steps during physiotherapy sessions, participants took more than double the number of steps in therapy (886 versus 371 in the current study).9 Given that therapy sessions are the most active part of the day in rehabilitation,

this low level of walking practice is concerning. If the primary aim of physiotherapy early after stroke is to restore safe and independent walking ability, the content of therapy sessions should reflect this. Naturally, therapy sessions consist of not only ‘whole task’ practice of walking, but also part practice (which may include activities in standing to promote stability and control of stepping), and activities/tasks Paclitaxel price directed at impairments (such as isolated movements aimed at improving active control). The balance between the time devoted to part and whole practice within a single therapy session must also take into consideration the amount of assistance a participant needs to complete a task. In an individual therapy session, a therapist is available to the participant for the duration of the therapy session. This allows for greater opportunity to practise tasks that require supervision or assistance to complete safely. In circuit class therapy – where there are more patients than therapists – there may be less opportunity for direct supervision and assistance for challenging tasks. This may go some way

towards explaining the differences in content of therapy between these all two formats of therapy delivery. More concerning is the large amount of time in circuit class therapy sessions spent performing activities in either lying or sitting. Obviously it is more challenging to provide appropriate assistance to participants to perform activities in standing and walking in circuit classes. The challenge for therapists is to design task practice that is both safe for an individual to perform without direct supervision and also effective. However, principles of task-specificity of practice suggest that activities in weight-bearing positions are likely to be more effective at promoting safe and independent mobility and therefore should be prioritised over activities in lying.