A Guide to Stroke Rehabilitation

Learning to recover from a stroke means that your brain has to do some relearning. Luckily, the brain is quite resilient and therefore can make a quicker recovery than many may think.

Taking medications to relieve stiffness and other symptoms of stroke are not a cure and do not substitute for rehabilitation.

In the case of specific limb immobility the arm presents more of a challenge since the patient still has another arm to use. He tends to use the ”other” arm and thereby brings disuse to the affected one. It is vital to counteract that phenomenon by specifically using the affected arm more.

Physical and occupational therapists design a therapy program that includes exercises and other techniques to assist your arm’s recovery.

Goals can include enhanced muscle control and reduction of spasticity. Passive movements are  done with the help of a therapist and more active exercises are done with little or no assistance.

Stroke rehabilitation can be tiring and therefore  should be done during the daytime when more energy is available.

Stretching is a very important part of stroke rehabilitation even if there is some pain. It reduces spasticity. There are range of motion stretching exercises that involve using the ”other” arm which in turn help the disabled arm. Using this form of stretching can prevent ”shortening” of the muscles and spasticity. Using the unaffected hand to stretch the fingers of the affected hand is a useful exercise as well. Some general principles are:

–Move the arm through its full range of motion at least three times a day.

–Gently stretch tighter muscles even if there is slight discomfort.

–Hold the stretch for  60 seconds or more.

In addition to the stretching exercises above there are excellent physical therapy solutions in the form of the TUTOR system.

The newly developed HANDTUTOR and its sister devices (ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR, 3DTUTOR) have become a key system in neuromuscular rehabilitation for stroke victims and those recovering from brain and spinal injuries,Parkinson’s, MS, CP and other limb movement limitations. These innovative devices implement an impairment based program with augmented motion feedback that encourages motor learning through intensive active exercises and movement practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR consist of wearable glove and braces that detect limb movement showing the patient how much active or assisted active movement they are actually doing. The rehabilitation software uses special rehabilitation games to set a new target for this movement in terms of the patient’s ability to move their limb. The devices then measure the limb movement and give feedback on the success of the patient in trying to gain this new movement objective. In this  way the patient is given movement feedback that allows him to understand which effort is more successful in  moving their affected limb again. The TUTOR system provides exercises that are challenging and motivating and allow for repetitive and intensive exercise practice. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR are now part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. German, Italian, French, UK and other foreign hospitals. See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.