Stroke Exercises - All You Need To Know

Choosing which stroke exercises to include in your stroke rehabilitation program

depends on what symptoms you are experiencing and what area of the brain was damaged by your stroke. When an area of the brain suffers oxygen deprivation for an extended period that is called a cerebrovascular accident, CVA or commonly called a stroke. After a stroke the issues that may be experienced by the survivor are related to how much of the brain was damaged and what area of the brain was affected.

A vitally important component of post stroke recovery is stroke exercises. Ground breaking scientific research about stroke recovery and the brain has shown a process called 'neuroplasticity'. This word is a combination of the words neurology (the brain and nervous system) and plasticity (in this case soft and moldable). So this basically means the brain is an ever changing structure or organ. It is not set in stone, rigid or fixed. This finding supports nicely what we in the rehabilitation area have seen for decades, is people regaining and improving the use of their brain through exercise.

Cognition can include functions like thinking, remembering and reasoning. Basically any functions that happen in your brain. Commonly for people with the left side of the brain affected by speech they may have some cognitive issues related to language. For example what is referred to as aphasia and this may be a difficulty in understanding speech despite hearing it with no problem or difficulty putting words together despite no issues with the vocal cords, mouth or tongue. It is a problem with the brain area responsible for processing language or expressing language. So cognitive work if needed can form part of the rehabilitation program.

Motor rehabilitation focuses on working on improving the movement of the body or limbs of the body. This is a frequent aspect of rehabilitation post stroke. After a stroke people may have spasticity which results in rigidness or they may have severe decrease in muscle tone resulting both of which result in a decrease ability to move properly. The task of increasing movement and improving co-ordination is very important. Helping the stroke survivor to regain the ability to dress themselves, walk, get out of bed and feed themselves can go a long way to improving their independence and self confidence.

Sensory disturbances may affect areas of the skin or the bodies ability to feel things. The area may feel numb or become unable to discriminate between hot and cold objects or sharp or dull objects. There may be just reduced feeling in the area where some feeling may be present but the level of sensitivity is very poor. The movement of limbs can be affected by these sensory problems because it can be difficult to move something you can not feel.

After a stroke the type of stroke exercises that form the basis of rehabilitation and recovery are very important. An understanding of how the brain works can help apply specific exercises and tailor a rehab approach to help the areas of the brain that have been effected. A specialized program can be more efficient and maximize recovery.

by: John Hamilton.

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