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Neurological

Stroke Rehabilitation | Spinal Cord Injuries | Peripheral Neuropathies

Stroke Rehabilitation

 

What is a Stroke?

A stroke, also known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), is a very serious, life-threatening event in which not enough oxygen is getting to the brain. This can be due to a cerebral hemorrhage (bleeding into or around the brain, often a complication of high blood pressure) or cerebral ischemia (prolonged lack of blood, which carries oxygen, to the brain, often caused by a clot or blocked artery). Without oxygen, brain cells will die.

What Are the Symptoms or Effects of a Stroke?

The most common effects of a stroke are:

  • Loss of or compromised balance and coordination

  • Impairment of speech or language (aphasia) 

  • Paralysis or weakness on one side of the body (e.g. drooping of one side of the face)

  • Problems with cognition (memory, thought, problem solving)

  • Changes in vision and hearing

  • Numbness

  • Difficulty with swallowing and eating

  • Confusion or dementia 

  • Problems with bladder or bowel control

  • Depression

Stroke Rehabilitation

The long-term effects of a stroke can be lessened and functionality greatly restored by intensive rehabilitation after the patient’s medical condition is stabilized. Patients must relearn skills that may have been lost after the brain cells were damaged or died.

An interdisciplinary approach will include a variety of therapies (physical, occupational, psychological, recreational) in conjunction with medication and possible change in life style. The goal of stroke rehabilitation is to minimize as much neurological damage as possible and to restore the person to pre-stroke functionality and independence.

Treatment can include:

  • Passive and/or active range of motion exercises

  • Relearning skills involving body movement, sitting, standing, walking, etc.

  • Gait training

  • Pain management

  • Focused and supervised repetitive practice of a motor skill

  • Psychological counseling

  • Medication for emotional disturbances, anxiety and clinical depression

  • Speech therapy

  • Retraining so patient can manage personal care issues 

  • Selective sensory stimulation

  • TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation)

  • Hydrotheraphy 

  • Vocational therapy

  • Nutritional counseling

 

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