Table 1 Evaluation criteria for each item

  Manual muscle test: The manual muscle test established by Daniels and Worthingham [19] evaluates muscle strength in six stages, ranging from 0 (no muscle contraction) to 5 (able to resist strong resistance). The hip joint flexor muscle strength and knee joint extensor muscle strength on the affected side were measured, and the average of the two measurements was used in the analysis

  Motor age test (MAT): The MAT is based on an evaluation table in which typical motor items in normal childhood development are converted into scores. Scores are allocated to individual motor items. The score varies from 0 to 72 points (or 0–72 months), where 72 points represents the greatest motor ability

  Katz’s index (KI): Basic motions of daily living activity in a hospital room were evaluated at the time of initiation of exercise in a rehabilitation room. The KI evaluates whether the patient can perform the following six items by themselves or with assistance: bathing, dressing, going to the lavatory, movement, self-control of urination and defecation, and eating meals. The evaluation is made using seven categories, from A (all items are performed independently) to G (all items need assistance), based on the number of items performed independently

Psychological function

  Hasegawa’s dementia scale: This is an intelligence evaluation scale consisting of nine questions, and consistency with the Mini Mental State Examination is high. The evaluation is made based on the number of correct answers from 0 (all answers incorrect) to 30 (all answers correct)

  Japan coma scale: Consciousness was judged as follows: 0 (clear consciousness), 1 (consciousness unclear), 2 (disorientation), 3 (the patient cannot give their own name and birth date), 10 (the patient opens their eyes in response to calling), and 20 (the patient opens their eyes in response to a loud voice or to shaking of his/her body)

  Night delirium: Patients in whom night delirium was noted were judged (+) and patients with no delirium were judged (–). The judgment was made based on information obtained from nurses, with only a single episode of delirium required for a judgment of (+) to be made

Complications

  Influence of heart disease: Evaluation was made using the classification of cardiac function established by the New York heart association (NYHA). Patients with no heart disease and class-I and class-II heart diseases were judged as ‘none’, and patients with class-III and class-IV heart diseases were judged as ‘mild’ and ‘severe’, respectively

  Influence of respiratory disorder: The Hugh−Jones classification was used. Patients with no respiratory disorder and grades I–IV respiratory disorders were judged as (–), and patients with grade V respiratory disorder were judged (+)

  Influence of cerebral stroke: The legs were staged by Brunnstrom staging as I (severest paralysis) to VI (almost no paralysis)

  Influence of other bone and joint disorders: Complications of rheumatoid arthritis, gonarthrosis, and compression fracture were classified into two categories, ‘mild’ and ‘severe’, corresponding to the degrees of functional disturbance and pain