While many in Bucks County associate physical therapy exclusively with aging individuals or injuries caused by exercise, physical therapy actually works for a wide variety of recovery efforts. Physical therapist offices work with families to help loved ones of all ages whose bodies have undergone stressful and devastating incidents.
Strokes can cause lifelong complications, and, if not adequately treated, can lower quality of life substantially. Physical therapy is an essential treatment option for those who have suffered from strokes.
What is a stroke?
Strokes occur when blood flow to the brain is blocked, either by a clot or an artery. They are very serious medical emergencies — so serious that they could easily be life-threatening. Surviving a stroke is a success, but full recovery and the path back to normal life can be a long and arduous process.
How do strokes cause long-term complications in the body?
40% of stroke patients suffer long-term disabilities following the event. The effects of a stroke and how long they last depend on which area of the brain is damaged. Possible effects include:
- Paralysis of different parts of the body
- Inability to speak
- Muscle weakness
- Epilepsy (chronic seizures) or spasticity (uncontrollable, sudden movements)
- Vision impairment
- Ataxia (inability to coordinate movements)
- Balance problems
What are the benefits of seeking physical therapy following a stroke?
Research shows that while patients could partially recover after a stroke naturally, they recover faster and better when aided by physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy.
The brain will naturally heal and assign functions that once belonged to the damaged area to other areas of the brain, a concept called brain plasticity. This is one of the wonders of the human body that aids in recovery, but it is time-sensitive — patients must train their brain to access these functions once they are lost. The Physical therapists at Core3 Physical Therapy give patients structured exercises to effectively do this.
What happens in stroke physical therapy?
Physical therapy in a stroke recovery plan aims to train the brain to recover the information on how to function in different parts of the body. This is done through a structured set of exercises performed repeatedly and in a buildup from smaller movements to larger and more complicated motions. For example, a patient may start with changing the body’s position while lying down, and move up to more complicated forms of autonomous movement such as walking.
The Physical therapists at Core3 PT provide all of the necessary resources for the patient to recover, but it is up to their own drive and the support of their loved ones to give them the motivation to push forward.
For more information on how physical therapy can help in recovery following a stroke, reach out to the experts at CORE 3 Physical Therapy today.