Physical therapy after a stroke improves quality of life and recovers lost movements. The main objective is to restore the motor capacity and make the patient able to perform their daily activities on their own, without needing a caregiver.
Physiotherapy sessions should start as soon as possible, still in the hospital and should be performed preferably every day, because the faster the patient is stimulated, the faster his recovery will be.
Rehabilitation exercises after stroke
Some examples of physical therapy exercises for stroke are:
Other examples of physical therapy exercises for stroke are:
- Open and close your arms, in front of your body, which can vary in: Open only one arm at a time and then both at the same time, walk in a straight line, and then alternating between tiptoes and heels; Use the exercise bike for 15 minutes, then you can vary resistance and distance reached; Walk on the treadmill for about 10 minutes with the help of the therapist.
These exercises can be done continuously for more than 1 minute each. In addition to these exercises, it is important to perform muscle stretching on all muscles to improve range of motion and to perform breathing exercises to prevent the accumulation of secretions that can lead to pneumonia, for example.
Exercises with balls, resistors, mirrors, weights, trampolines, ramps, elastic bands and everything else necessary to improve the patient's physical and mental capacity can also be used. However, you can also use TENS, ultrasound and hot water or ice bags, as needed.
Physical therapy results after stroke
Physiotherapy can achieve many benefits, such as:
- Improve the appearance of the face, making it more symmetrical; Increase the movement of the arms and legs; Facilitate walking, and Make the individual more independent in their daily activities, such as combing their hair, cooking and dressing, for example.
Physiotherapy should be performed daily, or at least 3 times a week.
Despite the intense work of physiotherapy, some patients may not show great improvement, as the exercises must be well done and this also depends on the patient's will. As one of the sequelae of a stroke is depression, these patients may have a greater difficulty in going to the sessions and feel discouraged, not performing the exercises correctly, which makes their recovery difficult.
Therefore, it is necessary that a patient who has suffered a stroke be accompanied by a multidisciplinary team composed of a doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, speech therapist and psychologist.
How long to do
Physiotherapy can start as early as the day after the stroke, stimulating the person to stay out of the hospital bed, with about 3 to 6 months of treatment of individualized neurological physiotherapy being recommended. The sessions last about 1 hour, with exercises performed with the help of the therapist, or alone, according to the person's ability.
In addition to the exercises performed in the office, you may need to perform exercises and stretches at home, for daily muscle stimulation. Putting the patient to play video games that exercise the whole body like the Wii and X-box, for example, to maintain muscle stimulation also at home.
It is important that physiotherapeutic treatment is carried out continuously and that the individual has a lot of stimulation to prevent muscle contractures from increasing and the range of motion to become smaller and smaller leaving the individual bedridden and totally dependent on the care of others.
