Brain Stroke – Symptoms, Cause and Rehabilitation

Brain stroke also referred to as a brain attack, occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off (reduced or interrupted) limiting the brain tissue from accessing the required oxygen and nutrients. Due to the inadequacy, the brain cells begin to die. This cerebrovascular accident (CVA) leads to neurological damage often inching towards paralysis.

About Brain Stroke

There are two types of strokes: ischemic stroke, caused by blockage of one of the blood vessels, and haemorrhagic stroke, which is caused by the rupture of a blood vessel into the brain. Since strokes are among the leading causes of death and disability in the world, early treatment and effective brain stroke rehabilitation are very important.

Healyos offers tailored rehabilitation programs designed to meet the specific needs of each patient, ensuring the best possible outcomes in their recovery journey

Rehabilitation After a Brain Stroke

Brain Stroke often affects the patient’s ability to do their everyday tasks like speaking, chewing, walking, balancing and many more. Hence, rehabilitation post-brain stroke is of utmost importance. This not only helps them to relearn the skills but also regain independence and improves their quality of life.

Brain stroke rehabilitation requires a multidisciplinary approach including physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and psychological support. The therapists along with the neurologists work in co-ordination to create a personalised and effective recovery plan for the patient.

Rehabilitation typically includes:

– Physiotherapy: It facilitates to improvement of strength, mobility, and coordination. Physical therapy usually includes walking and balance exercises, as well as training to perform everyday activities like dressing, bathing, etc.

– Speech and Language Therapy: The long-term side-effects of stroke are difficulty in speaking, understanding speech, reading, or writing. A speech therapist works on maintaining and improving communication skills; some work on swallowing problems.

Occupational Therapy: The therapists work on helping the stroke survivor regain the ability to perform daily activities and achieve maximum quality of life. These exercises would involve fine motor function, cognitive therapy, or merely adaptive techniques to compensate for lost abilities.

– Psychological Support: Coping with the emotional and psychological consequences of a stroke is an important process. This may involve counselling, therapy, or joining support groups as a way to overcome depression, anxiety, and the general social problems related to a stroke.

– Technology-Assisted Rehabilitation: State-of-the-art tools and technologies, such as robotic therapy, virtual reality, and functional electrical stimulation, can aid in the enhancement of rehabilitation outcomes through more intensive and focused therapy.

Symptoms of the Disease

Detecting the early symptoms of brain stroke is crucial to avoid long-term disability or problems. The symptoms always depend on the area of the brain affected and the extent of stroke.

The most common symptoms are as follows;

• Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, particularly on one side,
• Weakness, tingling, numbness, or difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
• Confusion or trouble speaking and understanding speech.
• Numbness or tingling or difficulty seeing in one or both eyes.
• Severe headache with no known reason.

FAST can also be identified using the following acronym:

F	A	S	T
Face drooping	Arm weakness	Speech difficulty	Time to call the emergency services.

Causes of the Disease

Strokes can be caused by several factors, including:

• Blockage in an artery leading to the brain
• Haemorrhage
• Atrial Fibrillation (irregular heartbeat forms clots that travel to the brain)
• High blood pressure
• Overuse or misuse of blood thinners (risk of brain bleed)

Healyos provides full stroke rehabilitation services to patients in their journey to recovery. Our proficient team works in partnership with each stroke survivor and their family to design an individualized rehabilitation program on all aspects of recovery, with a focus on enabling such individuals to achieve independent living and improve their quality of life.

Contact us today for more information or to schedule your appointment. You can come to any of our centres either in Kharadi, Pune or Aundh, Pune for treatment by our skilled physiotherapists.

Reference:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/in-depth/stroke-rehabilitation/art-20045172

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/stroke/rehabilitation-for-stroke

https://www.stroke.org/en/life-after-stroke/stroke-rehab/post-stroke-rehabilitation

https://www.healthline.com/health/stroke-treatment-and-timing/brain-exercises-for-stroke-recoveryhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5224426/