Post Stroke Care
A stroke can change things in the blink of an eye, leaving you with challenges with communication, movement and carrying out your daily activities.
It’s an unexpected event that changes life so quickly, it can be difficult to know where to start and what help you need.
Let us take the guesswork out of things for you. Physiotherapy is a crucial part of recovering from a stroke and will help you regain function and maximize your abilities!
What is a Stroke?
A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain stops. This interruption in oxygen and nutrient delivery to the brain causes damage to the brain tissue that ranges from mild to severe. Damage to the brain tissues can affect numerous systems in the body and can lead to paralysis, numbness, difficulty with speech, and impaired movement. The effects of the stroke depend on the area that was damaged and the amount of damage done.
What is Post Stroke Care?
Post stroke care is rehabilitation that focuses on helping an individual regain function after a stroke. Care can include a number of different professionals such as speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists. At Fit for Life Physiotherapy, our physiotherapists focus on muscle recovery after a stroke and use exercise as our greatest tool.
Post stroke physiotherapy aims to help you regain physical function and make any adaptations needed to help you carry out activities of daily living, and recreation that are important to you.
What Does Post Stroke Physiotherapy Help With?
A stroke can impact how you move, communicate and get around. Post-stroke physiotherapy helps you regain physical function so you can move around more easily, participate in activities of daily living, and decrease symptoms such as joint stiffness and pain.
A stroke can cause:
- Weakness or paralysis down one side
- Changes in sensation
- Difficulty with balance and coordination
- Difficulty walking
- Muscle stiffness and spasm
Post stroke physiotherapy can include strengthening, mobility, balance training, coordination training, gait retraining, manual therapy and other modalities to help address the difficulties you are experiencing.
Will Post Stroke Care Help Me?
Yes!
Physiotherapy can help with your physical recovery after a stroke.
Meet Our Therapists Who Provide Post Stroke Care
What Does Post Stroke Physiotherapy Look Like?
When you meet with your physiotherapist for the first time, they will perform a thorough assessment which will include a health history, details about your stroke, your current physical abilities, your concerns and most importantly….your goals. They will perform tests to look at function, balance, strength and coordination.
Your physiotherapist will use this information to develop a treatment plan that will address your needs and goals.
The specific modalities used will depend on your individual needs, but may include exercise & movement, manual therapy, acupuncture and more.
What are the Benefits of Post Stroke Physiotherapy?
- Regain & optimise function
- Maintain & improve strength
- Develop adaptations and modifications needed to help you with day to day function
- Decrease stiffness and joint pain
- Improve mobility
Frequently Asked Questions About Post Stroke Care
How long does it take to recover after a stroke? |
There is no single time frame for recovery from a stroke. It will depend on a number of factors including the severity of the stroke and if there are any other health conditions present. Recovery is not linear! Some people will continue with physiotherapy long term after a stroke to keep them moving well and feeling their best! |
How soon after a stroke should you start physiotherapy? |
| Time is of the essence! The sooner you can start physiotherapy after a stroke the better. |
|
The best type of therapy will depend on the deficits you are experiencing and your goals. Exercise is the foundation of physical recovery after a stroke. Guidance on specific exercises to target areas affected by the stroke is how your physiotherapist will work with you to achieve your goals. Ensuring that you are doing the right exercise at the right time in your recovery is essential. |
