What is a stroke?
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted, leading to death of the brain cells and subsequent loss of function in various parts of the body.
Technically speaking, there are two main types of stroke. One is known Ischaemic, where the flow of blood to the brain is too low, the other is haemorrhagic, where the blood supply is affected by bleeding in or around the brain. ‘Mini strokes’ can also occur, the technical term for these types is transient ischaemic attack (TIA). These are caused by a temporary blockage, and the symptoms only last for a short while.
Why do strokes happen?
In most cases strokes happen as arteries become harder and narrower as we age and are more at risk of becoming blocked. Some medical conditions and lifestyle factors can increase the risk of stroke.
What are the effects?
On the physical side, stroke can cause weakness in the muscles and related movement and body function problems. Often a stroke will affect one side of the body, but sometimes the weakness may be limited to one arm or leg, for instance. The intensity of muscle weakness can vary, from relatively mild effects to complete paralysis of certain areas of the body. Strokes can cause:
- Difficulty in walking, including a condition known as ‘foot drop’
- Reduced ability to use hands and arms
- Shoulder pain as a result of reduced movement
- Stiff or tight feeling muscles and weakness in limbs and muscles
- Problems with mental processes, such as perception, memory and reasoning
Strokes may affect the ability to communicate, and people can struggle with things like speaking, reading, writing and understanding. It’s important to realise that communication difficulties don’t mean the sufferer’s intelligence has been affected.
Of course, all the problems that can occur with strokes usually add up to emotional changes too, as patients often have to come to terms with life-changing conditions.
Treatment
Stroke rehabilitation typically involves a team of healthcare professionals including physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists. In the majority of cases, there will be some recovery from the effects of stroke – the extent of improvement is dependent on many factors, and each case is different.
At The Rehab Physio our stroke rehabilitation physiotherapy helps our patients to regain their strength, balance, co-ordination and mobility to maximise recovery and promote independence following a stroke.
