Research

Mixed

For stroke rehabilitation, exercise interventions are more effective than anticoagulant or antiplatelet drug therapies in reducing mortality.

If you are recovering from a stroke, engaging in prescribed physical activity and rehabilitation exercises may offer greater protection against death than relying solely on blood-thinning medications like anticoagulants or antiplatelets. Consult your doctor for a safe, tailored exercise program.

LimitedSupportsLOW confidence
Physical activity interventions were more effective than drug treatment among patients with stroke (odds ratios, exercise v anticoagulants 0.09... and exercise v antiplatelets 0.10...)
Huseyin Naci et al. · British Journal of Sports Medicine · 2015

Why this rating

Strong point estimates favoring exercise, but wide credible intervals and small sample sizes in exercise arms reduce confidence.

Source

Comparative effectiveness of exercise and drug interventions on mortality outcomes: metaepidemiological study

Huseyin Naci et al. · British Journal of Sports Medicine · 2015

DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2015-f5577rep

Meta-analysis · 305 studiesCited 201×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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