Functional Outcomes in Patients With Cerebral Infarction After Aquatic Physiotherapy and Aerobic Exercise

Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to one of two intervention groups. The first group will receive aquatic physiotherapy for 30 minutes, 3 times per week, in addition to conventional physiotherapy for 60 minutes, 5 times per week. Participants will be allocated to the aquatic physiotherapy group using randomization to minimize selection bias and ensure comparable distribution of participants between the two groups.

Aquatic physiotherapy will consist of a structured exercise program performed in water under the supervision of a physiotherapist. Each session will last 30 minutes and will be performed 3 times per week.

Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to one of two intervention groups. The second group will receive aerobic exercise for 30 minutes, 3 times per week, in addition to conventional physiotherapy for 60 minutes, 5 times per week. Participants will be allocated to the aerobic exercise group using randomization to minimize selection bias and ensure comparable distribution of participants between the two groups.

Aerobic exercise will consist of a continuous 30-minute cyclical aerobic exercise session performed on a stationary bicycle under the supervision of a physiotherapist. The session will be performed 3 times per week.

The Thirty-Second Sit-to-Stand Test will be used to assess lower-extremity muscle strength by measuring the number of complete sit-to-stand repetitions performed in thirty seconds. Minimum 0 repetitions, no fixed maximum; higher scores indicate better lower-extremity functional strength.

The Six-Minute Walk Test will be used to assess functional exercise capacity by measuring the distance walked during six minutes. Six-Minute Walk Test: minimum 0 meters, no fixed maximum; greater distances indicate better walking endurance.

The Ten-Meter Walk Test will be used to assess walking speed by measuring the time required to walk ten meters. Minimum 0 seconds, no fixed maximum; lower completion times indicate better walking performance.

The Barthel Index will be used to assess the patient's independence in activities of daily living. Minimum 0, maximum 100; higher scores indicate greater independence in activities of daily living.

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index will be used to assess the patient's sleep quality and sleep disturbances. Minimum 0, maximum 21; higher scores indicate worse sleep quality.

Systolic blood pressure will be measured to assess the cardiovascular response to physical exercise. Measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg); no fixed minimum or maximum values; higher or lower values are not inherently better or worse, as interpretation depends on the clinical context.

Diastolic blood pressure will be measured to assess the cardiovascular response to physical exercise. Measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg); no fixed minimum or maximum values; higher or lower values are not inherently better or worse, as interpretation depends on the clinical context.

Heart rate will be measured to assess the cardiovascular response to physical exercise. Heart rate measured in beats per minute (bpm); no fixed minimum or maximum values; higher or lower values are not inherently better or worse, as interpretation depends on the clinical context.