(July 17, 2009 - Insidermedicine) Moderate to high physical activity is associated with less disability following a stroke, according to research published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

Signs you may be having a stroke include:

•    Sudden weakness

•    Sudden difficulty speaking or seeing

•    Sudden dizziness or headache

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville asked nearly 700 stroke victims how physically active they were before their stroke. They then studied whether physical activity predicted how severely impaired the patients were immediately as well as three months later.

Those who maintained moderate to high levels of physical activity before their strokes had better scores on two rating scales of overall ability to function at the study's outset. Three months later, these participants maintained higher scores on one of these rating scales, even after taking into account factors such as age and the presence of other conditions.

Today's research suggests that maintaining a moderate to high level of physical activity may help minimize the functional impairment that can occur following a stroke.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.