Suddenly having difficulty speaking. Unexpectedly feeling dizzy. An unexplained and sudden severe headache. These are some of the common symptoms of a stroke.
Strokes occur when there is a sudden loss of blood flow to the brain, and most happen as a result of blood vessels to the brain being blocked or leaky. Unfortunately, strokes are all too common in the U.S. Medical studies report that every 40 seconds an American has a stroke. Physical therapists can help you manage post-stroke complications. In fact, there are many reasons to seek stroke rehab from a therapy specialist after your stroke.
Three reasons to seek stroke rehab from a physical therapist
Physical therapists are trained to deal with musculoskeletal disorders. This means that they can help you address the physical complications that strokes can cause. Your physical therapist will first evaluate your physical condition and ask you questions about the post-stroke issues you’re having.
They will then create a personalized stroke rehabilitation plan for you. Three reasons that you should strongly consider using such a rehab plan are that it’s designed to help:
- Improve your ability to walk independently — Being able to help patients walk independently is one of the key goals of physical therapy after a stroke. Strokes can affect the balance center of the brain. In turn, feeling unbalanced can make walking more difficult. Muscle weakness after limb paralysis can also contribute to walking difficulties. Physical therapists can use techniques like biofeedback and balance training to help you overcome these challenges.
- Reduce limb swelling — Many stroke patients must deal with a period where their limbs are partially or fully paralyzed. Often, this paralysis will recede over time. One complication that can come along with limb paralysis is swelling. Your physical therapist can show you and your caregivers how to position the paralyzed limb in ways that help prevent swelling.
- Keep muscles toned — It’s hard to keep muscles toned while you can’t move your limbs. This inability to move can lead to an issue called muscle atrophy, which is when the muscles waste away from lack of use. The wasting can also make it harder to recover your ability to move normally later in your recovery process. Your physical therapist can use manual therapy techniques to help prevent muscle atrophy. This can help shorten your overall recovery process.
Excel Sports & Physical Therapy offers high-quality stroke rehab
You and your caregivers don’t have to deal with the results of a stroke alone. Our Excel Sports & Physical Therapy team is ready and willing to help you rehab after a stroke. We can perform a comprehensive evaluation to determine the post-stroke issues you’re facing. Then, our specialists can create an individualized rehab plan for you that’s designed to help get you moving again.
Don’t think you can come into one of our clinics for an appointment? That’s OK! Our physical therapists can work with you at home as well, and this is possible thanks to the virtual therapy and at-home care services we offer.
Contact our team today for more information about our stroke rehab services or to schedule an initial appointment.
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