How physiotherapy helps rehabilitation after a Stroke

What are the causes of stroke and how does it happen?

There are many factors that can contribute to a stroke occurring. A stroke takes place when there is inadequate blood flow to your brain. This decreases the level of oxygen and nutrients in your nerves which results in the death of the brain cells and leads to a stroke.

Strokes vary in intensity, a person that experiences a major stroke could end up paralyzed on one side of their body. If the stroke is a minor one, the individual may only experience some pain in their arm or leg.

How you might be affected by a stroke

The impact of having a stroke largely depends on where in the brain it occurs and how large of an area it affects. There are some common functional and neurological issues that occur after a stroke:

• Weakness or loss of movement in the arms or legs (usually down one side of the body)
• Changes in sensation, such as tingling, numbness, or loss of feeling
• Changes to your sense of perception (knowing where your body is in space)
• Difficulty swallowing and/or speaking
• Difficulties with reading and/or writing
• Trouble with thinking and memory
• Mood changes, such as feeling depressed
• Vision issues, such as double vision
• Balance problems
• Shoulder pain
• Incontinence
• Fatigue

Rehabilitation after a stroke

The goal of a stroke rehabilitation program is to help stroke sufferers relearn the skills they lost when the stroke damaged their brain. Stroke rehabilitation is designed to help patients regain independence and improve their quality of life.

The severity of stroke complications and the ability to recover vary from person to person. The central nervous system is however very adaptable in recovering lost functions and regaining motor skills.

Carefully directed, well-focused and repetitive practice and therapeutic exercises are massively important in the rehabilitation process. Individuals may also need to learn how to communicate effectively when their ability to use language has been compromised.

The rehabilitation process starts in-hospital, and carries on in the home environment upon discharge from hospital or from a step-down facility. Rehabilitation from stroke can be a long-term process, and an appropriate home rehabilitation plan is crucial to recovery.

The long-term goal of rehabilitation is to improve function so that the stroke survivor can become as independent as possible. This must be accomplished in a way that preserves dignity and motivates the patient to relearn basic skills that the stroke may have impaired.

Role of physiotherapy in stroke recovery

The process of physiotherapy in stroke recovery is intended to improve the motor skills of the patient and prevent them from becoming completely dependent on other people. Physiotherapy not only focuses on improving the patient’s physical health but their overall mental health as well.

People who have suffered a stroke are at a greater risk of losing mobility and thus being dependent on others for basic activities. Physiotherapy can thus help the patient to regain mobility, confidence, and independence.

The goal of physiotherapy and stroke rehabilitation

Physiotherapists can design and implement an individualised plan to help stroke survivors overcome the physical and emotional effects of their ordeal.

When it comes to physiotherapy and stroke rehabilitation, there are four main goals that are focused on depending on the patient’s needs:

• To recover motor skills
• To regain communication
• To recover cognitive abilities
• To recover mobility

– Recover motor skills

Stroke rehabilitation and physiotherapy are appropriate means to regain lost motor skills. A stroke heavily affects your muscle strength and coordination.

Suitable motor skills exercises will be prescribed fort he patient to regain motor functions.

– Regain communication

It is common to have communication problems following a stroke. In worst-case scenarios, there is a total loss of speech – a condition known as “Aphasia”. Aphasia is not just limited to speaking but can also cause difficulty in understanding speech, reading and writing.

Speech therapy is used to regain lost communication skills and plays a big role in stroke rehabilitation.

– Recover cognitive abilities

Depending on the severity of the Stroke, many stroke survivors can end up losing cognitive aspects such as memory use, information processing, situational awareness, judgment, and social skills.

There are therapies specifically designed to help stroke patients properly recover those functions. We utilise the skillsets of other multidisciplinary therapists to improve the patient’s recovery even further. A occupational therapist may be required for the regaining or functional mobility in day-to-day activities and the ability to return to work.

– Recover mobility

Perhaps one of the largest focuses of physiotherapy and stroke rehabilitation is to recovery of lost mobility. Customised therapeutic exercise plans aim to increase a patient’s mobility, with better mobility comes increased confidence and better mental wellbeing.

Additional assistive devices such as walkers, crutches, wheelchairs, and ankle braces may be used to aid recovery.