This is a randomized controlled trial. This current RCT study will be a continuing project based on the optimal IMT intensity identified from our ongoing study. This ongoing study (registered on ClinicalTrials.gov with the registration number NCT06267768) aims to explore the optimal IMT intensity for the recruitment of diaphragm muscles in people after a stroke. Based on this intensity, the aim of this RCT is to explore the effects of a 4-week protocol of IMT on respiratory function, balance control, exercise capacity, and quality of life in people after a stroke.
aged between 40 and 80 years;
breathing spontaneously;
clinically diagnosed with ischemic and/or haemorrhagic stroke;
stroke duration from onset between 1 and 12 months;
acute myocardial infarction or acute heart failure;
acute pain in any part of the body;
with respiratory illness or positive clinical signs of impaired respiratory function, such as shortness of breath, hypoxemia, chronic cough, or sputum retention;
with chronic cardiovascular dysfunction;