Stroke Rehabilitation Exercises

A stroke is a rapidly disintegrating functioning of the nervous system due to irregular blood supply to the brain. As a result, the affected area of the brain stops operating. This causes permanent damage. The patient has to learn to walk, talk, eat and relearn other mundane everyday activities. This is done through stroke rehabilitation. Once a patient is medically stable, he must be shifted into stroke rehab unit immediately, at least within 48 hours after medical stability. It is said that a patient shows maximum recovery during his first 12 weeks in rehab. It is never certain as to how a patient will react to stroke rehabilitation exercises. He may have to continue doing these exercises throughout his entire life.

Exercises for stroke patients include moving the affected limb or body part so that it may be able to function properly. These exercise cover activities that initiate or stimulate activity in the brain.

Tai Chi
Tai Chi is an exercise comprising of slow sequential movements that require you to stretch and exert your body along with your mind, thus jogging brain memory. A lot of actions in this exercise are a great way to improve balance which is vital for stroke recovery. Moreover, it improves concentration and calms the mind and body.
Mirror Therapy
In this therapy, the patient is presented with an electronic image of his unaffected arm. Looking at his image, the patient is asked to move his affected arm under the illusion that he is moving his unaffected arm. This induces activation of the affected limb.
GRASP
GRASP (Graded Repetitive Arm Supplementary Program) is specially designed for upper limb recovery. It improves the stroke affected area and hand functioning by 33 per cent. These set of exercises include doing non intense upper body exercises like lifting the arm, picking up a glass etc.
Aerobics
Rehabilitation programs have been incorporated with aerobics, treadmill aerobic exercises and mild cardiovascular exercises. These exercise enables flexibility, mobility of the affected limb or area, strengthening of the affected arm and improved motor skills.

Rehabilitation helps the survivors of the stroke relearn life skills and get back to their pre-stroke life. Carefully directed, well focused and repetitive exercises are main features of stroke rehabilitation exercises. Some patients might have to even continue doing these exercises throughout their lives just to keep the affected limb functioning. These exercises are prescribed on a graded level. Initially the tasks are simple like lifting the limb. But then the patient is asked to do more complex tasks that needs more motor skill and control which can be achieved through exercises like this.

Stroke rehabilitation exercises thus aim at reviving the patient and trying to make him independent to go on with his normal life. These are major contributors in physiotherapy for stroke affected patients. These exercises help strengthen the affected arm and increase its mobility. It is a cure for strokes without any side effects. But the results and effects of these exercises are not guaranteed. Different patients react differently to different kinds of therapies. It all depends on how the patient takes these exercises and what effects they have on the patients.