Did you know that Sarah has a special interest in Neurological conditions?
Sarah certainly enjoys managing musculoskeletal injuries and functional decline, but she also enjoys managing neurological conditions.
In this series, she presents some information on a couple of conditions that are commonly helped and supported with physiotherapy.
First up is stroke.
Stroke Rehabilitation
Every stroke can present uniquely in individuals. When someone suffers a stroke, it can affect how their body moves, how strong their muscles are, and how well they can participate in their everyday life from activities like walking and driving, to activities like work or sport. Stroke rehabilitation with a physiotherapist helps people recover and regain as much movement and independence as possible. A physiotherapist will work with the individual to understand what they're struggling with - whether it's walking, using an arm, or keeping their balance - and create a person-specific rehabilitation plan to help them improve in those areas. Rehabilitation can include:
- Exercises to improve strength, coordination and flexibility that are in line with a person's goals
- Balance and walking re-training to help reduce risk of falls
- Activity/movement re-training to help practice and re-learn daily movements like reaching or using stairs
- Hands on techniques to reduce stiffness or pain
The main goal is to support those who have suffered from a stroke, get back to things that are important to them. Recovery after a stroke can take time, but with regular therapy and support, many see a meaningful and tangible improvement in their function and quality of life. A high-quality research trial comparing exercise groups with usual care demonstrated that participants who engaged in therapeutic exercise for 12 weeks saw faster improvements in social function, arm strength, emotional wellbeing and physical abilities compared to those receiving standard care10. These gains were significant immediately post-treatment but declined at 6 months if exercise was not continued10. “Exercise can lead to moderate beneficial effects on health-related quality of life and should be considered an integral part of stroke rehabilitation.”1
References
- Ali A, Tabassum D, Baig SS, Moyle B, Redgrave J, Nichols S, McGregor G, Evans K, Totton N, Cooper C, Majid A. Effect of Exercise Interventions on Health-Related Quality of Life After Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Stroke. 2021 Jul;52(7):2445-2455. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.032979.
- 10. Studenski S, Duncan PW, Perera S, Reker D, Lai SM, Richards L. Daily functioning and quality of life in a randomized controlled trial of therapeutic exercise for subacute stroke survivors. Stroke. 2005 Aug;36(8):1764-70. doi: 10.1161/01.STR.0000174192.87887.70. Epub 2005 Jul 21. PMID: 16040590.