Many people after stroke report considerable difficulties with moving about within their home and outside environments and this continues to be an area of concern for many years. Given that trunk function is a good predictor of mobility outcomes, directing more therapy at the trunk early after stroke could improve rehabilitation outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of providing additional trunk training (ATT) during early post stroke rehabilitation and to determine

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... if the ATT was acceptable to people with severe trunk weakness, their carers and physiotherapists. Twenty-one (21) adults with inability to sit independently for 30 seconds after the third day of stroke and who were well enough to participate were recruited from 5 NHS hospitals. They were given ATT in addition to usual stroke rehabilitation during in-hospital rehabilitation. We found that 1 in 5 stroke patients admitted had severe trunk weakness. While only a quarter of these individuals were suitable, the majority of them were willing to join the study. Delivering ATT was challenging due primarily to the limited capacity of the physiotherapists to deliver the additional intervention and patient related issues such as excessive fatigue. Nevertheless, two-thirds of participants in the study completed more than a quarter of the planned dose of ATT. Large improvements were seen in individuals' use of the trunk, their mobility and quality of life after ATT, similar to findings in people with less severe trunk weakness in previous studies.