LIFE AFTER STROKE

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A stroke is a serious medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to any part of the brain is interrupted partly.

When this happens, brain cells become deprived of oxygen and will begin to die soon. As a result, abilities controlled by that area of the brain are also lost.

How a person is affected by a stroke and its recovery totally depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged.

A Stroke can affect a person's ability to do things they were able to do before the stroke. Some of the most common effects of a stroke are described below.


Weakness

Weakness or paralysis is very common after stroke, depending on which side of the brain the stroke occurred.

Hemiplegia and Hemiparesis are the two most common kinds paralysis, that can happen after a stroke.

Hemiplegia is caused by an injury to the parts of the brain that control movement and is often accompanied by the side effects such as:
  • Muscle spasticity (weakness in the muscles)
  • Muscle atrophy (loss of muscle strength)
  • Pain
  • Seizures

Hemiparesis occurs when one side of the body is weakened, and have a typical impact on your limbs and facial muscles. Patients may experience an increased difficulty in performing everyday activities because of the limited movement in their arms, hands, legs, or facial muscles.

Although hemiplegia and hemiparesis are serious handicaps, Rehabilitation treatment and assistive devices can help improve movement in those areas.


Balance Problems or Dizziness

Majority of stroke survivors struggle with dizziness as it is a common occurrence after a stroke.

Insufficient coordination and stability can make people feel unsteady and increase the risk of having a fall.

These sensations can manifest in many different ways, and they can come and go, but dizziness typically stabilizes about six months after a stroke and does not normally continue to worsen in severity.

Physicaltherapy and balance exercises are the most effective ways that help recover balance problems.


Vision Changes

There are a variety of visual problems that are quite common after a stroke. They vary in person and include difficulty in focusing, double vision,  visual field loss, jerking of the eyes and even loss of vision.

Most of the time, a stroke survivor experiences only one, or possibly a few of these vision changes, but not all of them.


Speech and Communication Problems

Stroke's impact on speech and communication can be significant and difficult. Many stroke survivers face communication challenges and trouble in speaking.

Aphasia
Aphasia describes trouble in talking, reading, writing or understanding other people when they speak.

Dysarthria
Dysarthria is the weakness or paralysis in the muscles used for speaking. A stroke survivor cannot speak clearly due to weakness and diminished coordination of face and mouth muscles after a stroke.


Cognitive Deficits

Cognitive deficits are changes in thinking, like difficulties in solving problems and in understanding concepts. This category also includes dementia and memory problems, as well as many kinds of communication challenges.


Behavioral Changes

As our brain controls our behavior and emotions, stroke survivors often experience emotional and behavioral changes.

Injury from a stroke may make a person forgetful, careless, irritable or confused and they may also feel anxiety, anger or depression.


Pain

After a stroke, around 30% of survivors experience pain.  Stroke survivors may suffer injury pain, neuropathic pain or headaches, muscle, and joint pain, depending upon the cause.

Depending on the cause of the pain, treatments like medication and physiotherapy are often helpful. Some causes of pain can be treated, but for some people, post-stroke pain can last a long time.


Fatigue and Sleeping Problems

Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness or lack of energy and is very common after stroke, with about half of survivors experiencing it.

The reason for fatigue may be a combination of damage to the brain and the stress and effort associated with adjusting to a new life situation.

For most people fatigue does improve with time, however, it is difficult to predict.


Muscle Spasticity

After a stroke, damage to the brain can block messages between muscles and the brain causing arm and leg muscles to cramp or spasm (spasticity). Sometimes weakened muscles become stiff and rigid after a stroke, possibly even jerking on their own.

Spasticity can cause long periods of strong contractions in major muscle groups, causing painful muscle spasms. These spasms can produce:
  • Stiffness in the arms, fingers or legs 
  • Bent elbow
  • Pointed foot
  • Stiff knee
  • Arm pressed against the chest
  • A tight fist
There are many strategies and treatments for spasticity to help you recover, return to work and regain function.  With active post-stroke rehabilitation,  Muscle spasticity can be prevented effectively to an extent.

The stroke recovery journey is often filled with challenges. The physical, emotional, behavioral and communication changes caused by stroke change the lives of not only the survivor but those who care for them as well.

AVARehabilitation center, a future center of excellence, provides comprehensive patient-centered,neuro-rehabilitation care for persons who suffered the stroke, brain, and spinal injuries.

#Stroke Rehabilitation Centers in Cochin #Stroke Rehabilitation Centers in Cochin Kerala #Stroke Rehabilitation Centers in Ernakulam #Stroke RehabilitationCenters in Kerala #Stroke Treatment In Ernakulam #StrokeTreatment In Ernakulam Kerala #Brain injury management in Cochin Kerala #Spinalcord injury rehabilitation inErnakulam Kerala #Stroke Rehabilitation Centers in Cochin Kerala


Location: Kochi, Kerala, India

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