E-Mail DALLAS, Jan. 27, 2021 -- Stroke survivors who completed a cardiac rehabilitation program focused on aerobic exercise, currently not prescribed to stroke survivors, significantly improved their ability to transition from sitting to standing, and how far they could walk during a six-minute walking test, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association. Cardiac rehabilitation is a structured exercise program prevalent in the U.S. for people with cardiovascular disease that has been shown to increase cardiovascular endurance and improve quality of life. Despite many similar cardiovascular risk factors, stroke is not among the covered diagnoses for cardiac rehab. Physical inactivity is common among stroke survivors, with more than 75% of all U.S. patients who survive a stroke not receiving the guideline-recommended amount of exercise (150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week). Currently, exercise-based cardiac rehab programs are not the standard of care provided to stroke survivors in the U.S.