Physiotherapy after a stroke improves quality of life and recovers lost movements. The main goal is to regain motor capacity and make it possible for the patient to perform their daily activities alone, without the need for a caregiver.
Physiotherapy sessions should start as soon as possible, always in the hospital and should preferably be performed every day, because the faster the patient is stimulated, the faster their recovery will be.
- Here are some examples of physical therapy exercises that can be used after a stroke to regain strength and mobility of your arms and legs:.
These exercises can be performed continuously for more than one minute each. In addition to these exercises, it is important to perform muscle stretches on all muscles to improve range of motion and perform breathing exercises to prevent the accumulation of secretions that can lead to pneumonia, for example.
Exercises with balls, resistors, mirrors, weights, trampolines, ramps, rubber bands and everything necessary can also be used to improve the physical and mental abilities of the patient. However, you can also use TENS, ultrasound and hot water or ice packs if necessary.
Physical therapy can provide many benefits, including
Physical therapy should be performed daily or at least 3 times a week.
Despite the intense work of physiotherapy, some patients may not show much improvement, as the exercises must be well done and also depends on the will of the patient. As one of the aftermath of a stroke is depression, these patients may have more difficulty getting to sessions and feeling discouraged, not performing the exercises properly, making it difficult for them to recover.
Therefore, it is necessary for a stroke patient to be accompanied by a multidisciplinary team consisting of a doctor, a nurse, a physiotherapist, a speech therapist and a psychologist.
Physical therapy can begin the day after stroke, which induces the person to stay out of the hospital bed, and 3 to 6 months of individualized neurological physiotherapy treatment is recommended. The sessions last approximately 1 hour, with exercises performed with the help of the therapist, or alone, depending on the person’s abilities.
In addition to office exercises, you may need to exercise and stretch at home for daily muscle stimulation. Play the patient in video games that exercise his whole body such as the Wii and the X-box, for example, to maintain muscle stimulation also at home.
It is important that physical therapy is treated continuously and that the individual has a lot of stimulation to prevent muscle contractions from increasing and the range of motion becomes smaller and smaller, leaving the individual prostrate in bed and totally dependent on the care of others.