Intermittent physical recovery has similar benefits to continuous physical recovery in patients in the acute and early sub‑acute stages following a stroke.

Stroke is one of the most important causes of death and disability worldwide. The recovery of stroke survivors represents a real challenge for healthcare services. The aim of the present pilot study was to evaluate and compare the efficiency of two different approaches of physical rehabilitation in patients in the acute and early sub-acute stages following a stroke. Two groups of patients consisting of 48 and 20 patients, respectively, underwent continuous and intermittent physical recovery, and were assessed through electromyography and clinical evaluation. After 12 weeks of rehabilitation, no significant differences were identified between the outcomes obtained from the two groups. Due to the added value of intermittent physical recovery, this method of rehabilitation could be considered an approach that needs to be further studied for the treatment of patients in the acute and early sub-acute stages following a stroke.