Stroke Rehabilitation Program

After experiencing a stroke, rehabilitation is an important part of the stroke patient's recovery. It is the process in which the patient learns how to live an independent life despite the physical disability that may have befallen in the course of a stroke. A stroke patient ideally suffers partial and permanent brain damage resulting in paralysis of one or more limbs or body parts. A patient can overcome this disability in rehabilitation. It is a gradual process. In rehabilitation, the patient seeks treatment and therapy to overcome this paralysis or physical disability. A patient will get the best results of stroke rehab therapy within the first 12 weeks of starting rehabilitation. Depending on the patient's medical history, analysis and diagnostics, a therapist or physicist draws out a stroke rehabilitation program for the patient.

A stroke rehabilitation program aims at trying to restore to the patient his normal life. He is taught to perform everyday activities and deal with his physical disability effectively. Rehabilitation centers are equipped with highly skilled trained professionals and staff. Their utmost priority is to take care of the patients. There are various therapies and treatments employed in a stroke rehabilitation program:

1. Cognitive Rehabilitation

   This type of rehabilitation involves solving arithmetic problems, answering logical puzzles, concentration tests, reading tests. This helps reactivate the brain cells as a stroke causes damage to the brain. Cognitive rehabilitation also promotes learning of gross motor skills and everyday life skills.

2. Physiotherapy

   In physiotherapy, a trained physiotherapist prescribes certain exercises for stroke patients. The prescription is given after studying the patient's medical history, analysis, diagnosis and response to treatment. The patient may even have to continue doing these exercises throughout his entire life time to be able to function normally.

3. Oral Drug Therapy

   In this treatment, the patient is prescribed certain medications to kill pain and help stimulate his brain cells and encourage movement of the immobilized or paralyzed limb. Medications containing dantrolene sodium, clonidine, gabapentin etc. are used in such therapies.

4. Mirror Therapy

   In this type of therapy, the patient is presented with a digital mirror image of his unaffected limb and is asked to use his affected limb under the illusion that he is maneuvering his unaffected limb. This promotes arm strengthening, jogs the brain cells and increases limb mobility.

Some other methods of rehabilitation include surgery, injections, hydrotherapy, occupational therapy, speech language therapy, audiology and much more.

There are many stroke rehabilitation centers that offer stroke rehabilitation programs. There are even some facilities which specialize in different kinds of stroke treatments and offer treatment accordingly. Rehabilitation is a vital part of recovery for stroke patients. It helps them in learning how to live with their physical disability and to be able to function normally and independently. Rehabilitation mainly aims at easing the pain and suffering the patient goes through and helps him overcome his problems. It does not guarantee a complete cure or recovery, but it is a very effective way of getting on with life and moving on ahead and has long lasting effects. One more advantage of rehabilitation is its phenomenal characteristic of the absence of side effects. Thus a stroke rehabilitation program is effective and helps the patient beyond bounds.