Stroke Rehabilitation- Returning home

Ashley Maritzer, PT MS

 

You have had a stroke, you went to a rehabilitation facility where you learned to stand up, dress yourself, and walk again in order to return home. Now you are home but what is next? You may find that you still have deficits in getting up from a chair, driving, and walking through a grocery store. Outpatient therapy at Physical Therapy Center of Bristol, LLC can facilitate in strength training, gaining ROM, gait training, and improving balance that all lead to improved quality of life.

About 80% of people who have had a stroke have some degree of trouble moving one side, or suffer from weakness on one side of their bodies.¹ The side of the body opposite the side of brain injury has the resultant weakness so if you have had a left sided stroke you will have right sided hemiparesis and vice versa. This weakness can make activities such as reaching for objects, going to the bathroom, or showering oneself difficult.

Spasticity is also a major problem from a stroke. Spasticity is stiffness of muscles making it difficulty to move. Untreated spasticity can result in contractures, pain, and difficulty moving.  Due to spasticity or weakness you may have been prescribed an orthotic to assist with walking. As your spasticity decreases and your strength increases you may wean from your orthotic per your physical therapist. Your physical therapist will know when it is safe to start training without it and will give you the appropriate exercises to wean from the orthotic.

Outpatient physical therapy addresses these issues through exercise, manual stretching, balance, and coordination training. It is also difficult to know when you no longer need the assistance of a device such as a cane, walker, or even a wheelchair. Many people will go home with use of an assistive device but may no longer need it after continued therapy. This will help to regain your life and allow you to feel like you have control again.

According to Werner and Kessler² stroke survivors can make functional gains even up to 3 years after stroke. Continued exercise is essential in making a difference in your post stroke recovery. You may feel like you have lost all control of your life but its up to you to regain it now.  Physical Therapy Center of Bristol, LLC has two locations serving this population.  In Bristol we are located at 135 Middle Street, 585-5800 and in Plantsville we are at 1090 Meriden Waterbury Turnpike, 272-8490.  Call PTC today and make an appointment so we will help you recover with outpatient therapy or visit us on the web at www.ptcbristol.com

 

Physical Therapy Center of Bristol, LLC is central Connecticut’s most trusted name in Physical Therapy!  We service the communities of Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Southington, Meriden, Cheshire and Plantsville Connecticut. 

 

1. www.stroke.org

1. Werner RA, Kessler S. Effectiveness of an intensive outpatient rehabilitation program for postacute stroke patients. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 1996; 75(2): 114-120

Tags: Bristol, Burlington, Cheshire, Meriden, Outpatient physical therapy, Plainville, Plantsville, Southington, Stroke Rehabilitation

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 at 9:14 pm and is filed under Bristol, Burlington, Cheshire, Connecticut, Meriden, Outpatient physical therapy, Plainville, Plantsville, Southington, Stroke Rehabilitation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.