Investigation of the effect of early mobilization on balance and mobility in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Objective: It was aimed to investigate the effect of early mobilization on balance and mobility in patients with acute ischemic stroke and to develop an early rehabilitation program for acute ischemic stroke patients. Material and Methods: The study was conducted with a total of 23 volunteer acute ischemic stroke patients, 12 in the study group and 11 in the control group, who were hospitalized at Eskişehir Osmangazi University Stroke Center between December 2023 and March 2025 and met the inclusion criteria. Demographic Information Form, Modified Rankin Scale, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, Improved Mobility Scale for Acute Stroke Patients, Stroke Rehabilitation Movement Assessment Scale, Berg Balance Scale, Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients, Fatigue Severity Scale, Modified Barthel Index and Pittsburgh Rehabilitation Participation Scale were used to collect the data. Findings: In the study group, no significant difference was found in terms of mobility and balance after early rehabilitation compared to the control group (p>0.05). In addition, no significant difference was found between the groups in terms of stroke status, stroke severity, activities of daily living, fatigue severity and participation in rehabilitation (p>0.05). Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between activities of daily living, mobility and participation in rehabilitation (p<0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between fatigue severity and activities of daily living and participation in rehabilitation (p<0.05). Statistically significant differences were found in the intra-group comparisons made before and after rehabilitation in terms of the parameters evaluated in both groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that early rehabilitation in patients with acute ischemic stroke contributes positively to the recovery process. The findings revealed that early rehabilitation programs for patients hospitalized in a stroke center may be effective on balance and mobility. Keywords: ischemic stroke, early rehabilitation, mobility, balance