Physical Therapists Play Key Role in Stroke Recovery

As soon as possible after a stroke occurs, the patient's brain needs to reorganize itself to help recover lost functions and get the patient's life back on track. Joining a rehabilitation program right after leaving the hospital is the first step toward recovery.

Stroke rehabilitation occurs with the support of a team of health care professionals, and the physical therapist plays a critical role by guiding the body back to its former strength. Otherwise, a decrease in mobility, language skills and sensory impairment can result in a loss of independence in daily living.

Unlike a heart attack, in which the blood supply is blocked from circulating between the heart and the rest of the body, a stroke involves blockage that prevents blood flow to the brain. The degree and type of stroke damage depends on what part of the brain is affected.

Physical therapy, which is sometimes conducted in conjunction with occupational therapy, works on muscle coordination and motor skills. It involves teaching the patient new ways to perform daily activities, such as grooming and feeding oneself. By getting the patient to use parts of the body impaired by the stroke, the therapist helps the patient regain strength where he or she needs it most.

One common method of physical therapy includes exercising in a pool, or hydrotherapy. Another method employs resistance exercise by using a harness-style gait belt for those who need to regain walking ability.

Physical therapy offers stroke survivors a re-learning process to recover skills

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), more than 700,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke every year, and about two-thirds of them survive and need rehabilitation. How long stroke recovery takes depends on a number of factors: the type of stroke suffered, the perseverance and positive attitude of the patient, and the therapy needed to bring back physical and cognitive functions as fully as possible.

While the stroke is not cured and brain damage isn't reversed, rehabilitation can move patients toward their best possible recovery of body functions. Stroke rehabilitation is a re-learning process helping stroke survivors recover skills by learning how to do things again.

When the patient has a tendency to avoid use of impaired limbs -- a behavior called "learned non-use" -- the physical therapist works to do the opposite. This therapy targets the impaired limb and largely emphasizes practicing isolated movements, repeatedly changing from one to another, and practicing more complex movements that require coordination and balance, such as walking up or down stairs. Some therapists use transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), a small electrical probe that stimulates nerve activity in stroke-impaired limbs.