Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41424222›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine2025

Interrelationship between fatigue and recovery of physical function in stroke survivors: a longitudinal mixed-methods study.

Chiao-Hsin Teng, Ruth A Anderson, Baiming Zou, Jia-Rong Wu, Ratchanok Phonyiam, Ashley Leak Bryant, Barbara J Lutz, Leslie L Davis

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Article in European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Chiao-Hsin TengSchool of Nursing, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan - chiaohsinteng@cgu.ed.u.tw.
Ruth A AndersonSchool of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Baiming ZouGillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Jia-Rong WuCollege of Nursing, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
Ratchanok PhonyiamRamathibodi School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Ashley Leak BryantSchool of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Barbara J LutzSchool of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA.
Leslie L DavisSchool of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

Funding

Robust Computational and Data Analytic Tools for In-depth Understanding Postoperative Pain Mechanism with Enhanced Pain Management and Clinical Decision MakingR01LM014407 · NLM · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Baiming Zou · 2024 to 2026
$1.4M
NLM NIH HHS R01 LM014407
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundResearch has shown that late fatigue post-stroke is associated with poorer long-term outcomes, but the association between early fatigue with concurrent outcomes like physical function within six months is underexplored.

aimTo explore the interrelationship between stroke survivors' adaptation to fatigue and physical function changes during hospitalization and at one, three, and six months post-stroke.

designA prospective longitudinal cohort study with a convergent mixed-methods design.

methodsAdults (≥18 years) with first-ever ischemic stroke were included. Fatigue, physical function, and data from semi-structured interviews were collected at four time points. A mixed-effect model was used to explore the quantitative relationship, with physical function as the dependent outcome and fatigue as the fixed-effect variable. Directed content analysis was used for qualitative data. A side-by-side display was used to present mixed-methods findings.

resultsThirty-two survivors were in the quantitative arm; nine of those were in the qualitative arm. Quantitative analysis showed that each unit increase in fatigue decreased physical function by 0.27, adjusting for age, depression, and time. Qualitative findings confirmed that fatigue hindered recovery and pre-stroke activity resumption. Survivors described a vicious cycle between fatigue and function, with varying fatigue patterns and exacerbating factors within six months.

conclusionsFatigue and physical function were interrelated within six months after stroke. Given the small, single-center sample, these results should be interpreted cautiously. Still, our findings highlight the value of early, systematic fatigue assessment and collaborative discussions between survivors and health professionals to guide individualized management strategies. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: Managing post-stroke fatigue requires both survivor-led strategies (e.g., self-monitoring, rest, pacing) and professional support to address contributing conditions. Routine follow-up should include systematic fatigue assessment, collaborative discussion of management options, and periodic re-evaluation to optimize recovery.

Indexed as

FatigueIschemic StrokeRecovery of FunctionStrokeStroke RehabilitationAdultAgedFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesSurvivors

Identifiers

PMID41424222
PMCPMC12833771

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.