Massage Therapy For Stroke Patients

Why Might I Need Arm Care After A Stroke

If you have had a stroke, you may need arm care treatment while you recover function. Some people who have a stroke need treatment for trouble with the muscles of their arm or shoulder, and shoulder pain is common. This treatment often starts right after a stroke. Even if you only have minor harm from your stroke, correct arm care can help prevent future problems.

For example, proper positioning of your arm is important, because you may not have proper feeling in your arm and shoulder. It’s easy to damage your arm without knowing it if you dont keep your arm in the correct position. Some people continue to have shoulder pain and arm problems months after a stroke. This may need specific rehab and treatment.

Occupational Therapy: Relearning Life Skills

One of the most important parts of your recovery is relearning daily living skills so that you can be mobile and independent. An occupational therapist will show you how to work around your disabilities so that you can change your clothes, take a shower on your own, cook, clean, and if possible, drive a car. Your OT will also help you set up your home to make it safer and easier to move around in.

Aim Hypotheses And Primary And Secondary Outcomes

This study will evaluate possible effects of TM after stroke on health in the ICF domains. Specific purposes are to investigate the impact on:

Our hypotheses are that TM after stroke will

• increase sensorimotor function, which will be reflected in improved gross and fine motor skills and touch discrimination

• increase ability to perform activities in daily life

• increase activity in contralateral sensorimotor areas and decrease redundant brain activity in motor-related areas. This will lead to more focused activity in motor-related areas, thus improving behavioural movement in the patients

• increase health-related quality of life

The primary outcome is change in anxiety measured by STAI. The secondary outcomes include pain, physiological stress responses by change in heart rate variability and salivary cortisol, gross and fine motor skills, grip strength, touch discrimination, quality in motor performance, activities in daily life, brain activity, and HRQoL .

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Massage Therapy For Stroke Rehabilitation

A stroke, or cerebrovascular accident occurs when blood flow to a particular area of the brain is interrupted, or when an artery in the brain bursts and floods the surrounding tissue with blood. A stroke caused by an obstruction of blood is called a cerebral ischemia, while CVAs caused by a ruptured artery are known as cerebral hemorrhages.

Ischemia strokes are by far the most common, counting for roughly 80 percent of CVAs. Depending on the severity of a stroke and where in the brain it occurs, the damaging effects can range from mild to severe and include:

• Weakness, numbness, tingling or paralysis to limbs, facial muscles or sometimes an entire side of the body
• Impaired vision
• Inability to walk or problems with coordination and balance
• Problems with chewing, swallowing and speech
• Memory loss

Patients in recovery from stroke may receive support from a diverse range of healthcare professionals, including speech therapists, physiotherapists, neurologists and registered massage therapists. Massage therapy can play an important role in the patients recovery process, helping to improve nerve function and joint mobility while relieving stress associated with the trauma of a CVA.

Boost Your Mindset With Kaizen

Kaizen is the Japanese practice of continuous improvement through small, consistent steps. Sound too simple to work? The simplicity is actually the hardest part.

Kaizen involves patience and persistence, two essential ingredients for physical therapy after stroke. You cant achieve your results all at once. The brain can only do so much in a single day.

The best thing you can do to achieve results is take it one step at a time day after day. This slow yet steady pace is exactly what will lead to your highest recovery possible.

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Stroke Rehabilitation Equipment For Aphasia

Not all stroke rehab equipment is designed to help with movement. There are tools that help with communication and cognition, too.

These tools are great for individuals with aphasia, a communication disorder, or other cognitive difficulties like poor concentration and memory. Just like practicing rehab exercises helps improve movement, practicing cognitive exercises helps improve cognition.

Heres our recommended too for improving speech, communication, and cognitive skills after stroke:

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Best Therapy Methods For Stroke Patients At Home

After discharge from outpatient therapy, its essential for stroke patients to continue a strong recovery program at home. The brain needs constant stimulation in order to continue healing.

Youll about to discover the top 5 stroke recovery treatment options you can do at home. These methods focus specifically on mobility. After that, youll learn more tips to help maximize recovery.

Mental Practice To Improve Paralysis

Mental practice involves mentally rehearsing something before you actually do it. Professional athletes are known to implement mental practice to improve their sport, and stroke survivors can also benefit.

Try mentally practicing your rehab exercises for 5 minutes before you actually practice them in real life. Studies have shown that visualizing yourself moving helps activate neuroplasticity the same way that physically moving does.

Mental practice is especially helpful for patients who struggle with paralysis and cannot move without assistance yet. It provides a way to help the brain rewire itself without requiring movement.

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Beginning With A Neuro

When a stroke first occurs, there can often be some swelling of the body. It is therefore a good idea for the massage therapist to focus on this area, massaging gently to encourage the bodys lymphatic drainage process to take place, helping to remove toxins and waste products from under the skin and helping the swelling to reduce.

Beginning with this method of stroke treatment also gives the client the opportunity to get used to how a massage feels, encouraging them to relax, particularly if this is their first experience. It can also have a very positive effect upon the psyche as stroke patients who sometimes feel they need to cover their body realise that this is not the case. Over time, the length of the massage can increase and other parts of the body be incorporated.

Stroke Treatment And Massage

When someone has a stroke, the results are not always the same. There may be some paralysis, weakness of muscles, difficulty with speech or memory loss. Whilst massage cannot really help with the latter two, it can certainly have a positive impact upon both paralysis or muscle weakness. Making neuro-massage a vital aspect of stroke treatment.

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How To Choose The Right Equipment For You

As you shop around, its important to look for tools that you find motivating. After all, results are created through repetition and consistency. Look for devices that you can see yourself using it every day.

Activating neuroplasticity through repetition and consistent therapy is how you will see lasting long-term results.

While all stroke rehab equipment aims to improve your function and mobility, not all strokes are equal. In fact, every stroke is different, which means that every recovery will be different.

Not every stroke survivor will need everything on this list. In fact, there may only be a few items that target your unique needs. Its important to be clear on your recovery goals so that you can choose the right equipment.

If you feel lost, your therapist is a great resource. You can also look for recovery tools that are similar to the ones you used during your time with your therapist.

To help you find even more clarity, consider these questions as you look for the best stroke rehab equipment for your goals and needs:

• Does this help me achieve high repetition?
• Can I see myself using this consistently?
• Does this make me excited to do therapy?

If something ticks all these boxes, it will make a great investment on the road to recovery.

Risk Of Bias In Individual Studies

The risk of bias assessment was assessed by two authors using the PEDro scale . In cases of doubt or disagreement, a discussion took place with a third reviewer until a consensus was reached. The PEDro is an 11-item scale, in which the first item relates to external validity and the other 10 items assess the internal validity of a study. The higher the score, the greater the studys risk of bias as assessed by the following cut-points: 910: excellent 68: good 45: fair < 4: poor .

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Ct Speech & Cognitive Therapy App

The CT Speech & Cognitive Therapy App includes over 100,000 speech and cognitive exercises. When first getting started, the app assesses your needs and ability level and then assigns the appropriate exercises for you to practice. Its like having a virtual speech therapist available any time you want. And your own speech therapist can even help assign your exercises through the app!

How Can Massage Therapy Benefit Stroke Survivors

Success stories from using massage for rehabilitation after a stroke are currently largely anecdotal, but research does clearly support the use of massage for isolated issues that can arise after a stroke. Additionally, one active study in Sweden is specifically evaluating the use of touch massage for stroke patients. Researchers hypothesize the findings will support post-stroke massage therapy for increasing sensorimotor function, improving fine motor skills, decreasing anxiety and physiological stress, and improving overall health and quality of life.

Some specific benefits that may be derived from massage after stroke include:

References:

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Neuromuscular Complications Of Stroke

Every stroke is unique and the extent of damage to the body is determined by the location of the stroke in the brain. That is, the resulting deficits correspond to whatever that particular area in the brain controls, such as speech, movement, memory, cognition, etc. Sometimes these deficits are permanent and sometimes they can be reversed by initiating immediate therapy. Other times, the brain finds circuitous routes that establish an alternative connection. Research has demonstrated that brain cells can send out dendrites that can grow to one inch in length over a year, to find re-connections. And who knows? Recall the claim that we only use 10 percent of our brain. Perhaps that leaves 90 percent on standby. In other words, rehabilitation is not an exact science and the body is built for survival, ready to accommodate to its needs.

Stroke frequently results in some degree of paralysis and or paresthesia . There are two main types of paralysis: flaccid paralysis and spastic paralysis . With flaccid paralysis there is no nerve impulse transmitted down the limbs and thus muscles are unable to react. Flaccid paralysis causes the limbs to wither and hang lifelessly. This can contribute to shoulder strain and subluxation as the arm hangs heavy with no shoulder-joint muscle tone.

In Part 2, well look at the basis for massage therapy with stroke clients and the approach to take for massaging the client with stroke history.

What Happens After Arm Care After A Stroke

Some people regain full use of their arm in the weeks after a stroke. Many others still have some weakness, pain, or other problems with their arm. You may continue to benefit from arm therapy. Your medical team can tailor your treatment plan to your needs.

If you continue to have arm problems, your healthcare team might try other treatments such as:

• Constraint-induced movement therapy. This involves using your affected arm a lot and not using your unaffected arm. A therapist might help you with this. Or it could be robot-assisted.
• Botulinum toxin injections. This can help to reduce tightness in the arm muscles.
• Electrical stimulation of muscles. The weak muscles in your arm or shoulder may be treated with electricity. This can help to help strengthen your weak arm.
• Electrical stimulation of the brain. This may be done during rehab exercises, and may help increase mobility.
• Motor imagery. This method may help improve arm use.
• Biofeedback exercises. These may help you regain mobility and reduce pain.
• Pain medicine. These may be needed to decrease shoulder pain if subluxation has occurred.
• Spasticity medicine. These are use to ease muscles spasms and loosen your arm.

Depending on your case, these treatments might be used early or late in your therapy. Ongoing physical therapy may also help you ease chronic pain as you regain your strength and flexibility.

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Overview Of Stroke Physiology

A stroke, or cerebrovascular accident , is an interruption of blood flow to a specific part of the brain. The exact location of the stroke determines the damage that occurs to the nervous system. There are two basic types of stroke: brain hemorrhage and brain ischemia. In the case of brain hemorrhage, there are two subdivisions: subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracerebral hemorrhage.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage means there is bleeding into the spaces around the brain. A collection of blood between the brain and cranium can cause pressure injury to the sensitive brain tissue, because the blood cannot swell outward against the cranium instead it pushes inward against normal brain tissue.

Intracerebral hemorrhage means there is bleeding directly within the brain tissue. In similar fashion, there is brain injury due to pressure from a collection of blood within the tissue and irritation of free blood to the brain tissue. Brain hemorrhage accounts for approximately 20 percent of the total number of strokes, with subarachnoid and intracerebral evenly distributed.

What Happens During Arm Care After A Stroke

Preventing partial separation or subluxation is one of the most important goals of arm care after a stroke. To prevent this problem, you must protect your arm at the shoulder joint.

You will need to control the shoulder joint during movement. It’s important that all of your caregivers know about the correct ways to assist you. No one should pull on your arm. Damage can result from getting underarm support to stand or walk. Instead, support your affected arm and use your strong arm to help pull yourself up.

Support devices may also be part of your treatment. You may need to have your arm in a sling or harness after your stroke. This will support your arm and help prevent more damage. If youre in a wheelchair, the chairs arm support may also help. Other devices include special lap trays or pillows. You may need to use these for weeks or longer.

Other types of proper positioning after stroke include:

Your physical therapist will make other suggestions about positions that are safe and comfortable for you. He or she may also start physical therapy exercises with you. These are to help you regain strength and flexibility in your affected muscles. This might include muscle stretches, strengthening exercises, and range-of-motion exercises.

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How Do I Get Ready For Arm Care After A Stroke

Learn everything you can about your treatment plan. Your healthcare team will work with you to design a treatment plan specific to your needs. You may work with a physiatrist. This is a doctor who specializes in rehabilitative medicine. You will likely work with a physical therapist. This is a therapist who can teach you safe exercises to improve the strength, endurance, and range of motion in your arm, shoulder, and hand. An occupational therapist can help you learn to regain skills needed for everyday living using your arm. This may include using assistive devices, such as braces or arm rails.

Expect your treatment plan to change as you recover. Talk with the members of your medical team about how things are going. If an exercise causes pain, stop the exercise and let someone know right away.

Pathologies Massage And Contraindications Part 9 Stroke By Vanessa Ragains

Last week, we discussed Cerebral Palsy, defined the different types, and that it is diagnosed either in the womb or early infancy. This is a Central nervous system injury which affects the development in motor skills and certain functions of our brain. They can affect our sensory and cognitive reactions as well. When massaging a client who has Cerebral Palsy, it is important to be able to read non-verbals as they may not be able to verbally communicate any discomfort to you. If the bodywork is too hard, it can cause a seizure. This means to use lighter pressure. Massage can relieve tension, pain, and stress for the client. Our next post is focused on clients who have been affected by a Stroke.

Pathologies, Massage, and Contraindications Part 9 Stroke

Stroke Defined: A CVA stroke is damage to the brain tissue caused either by a blockage in blood flow or by an internal hemorrhage. It is the third leading cause of death in the United States, coming in behind heart disease and cancer.

Risk Factors

• Previous Stroke

Types of Strokes

Ischemic Stroke: The most common version of CVA. This is caused by a blood clot that travels to the brain and creates a blockage.

Cryptogenic Stroke: The cause of this type is unknown. They have found a connection to an abnormal opening in the heart that allows blood to flow through, even clots! This is more likely with a person over the age of 55.

Signs andSymptoms

Massage Risks:

Massage Benefits:

My opinion:

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