After the body has suffered from a stroke, some parts of the body cease to function. Excessive muscle tension causes resistance when trying to straighten or bend the arm. Competent restorative gymnastics after a stroke, including complex exercises, will be required. This therapy can be carried out at home, with the help of loved ones or on your own.
Exercise goals
Gymnastics after a stroke is carried out to restore all the motor capabilities of the body, from simple squeezing of the hand to complex rotational pirouettes during the dance. It is often not possible to fully restore abilities, but with maximum effort, you can ensure that the patient is able to perform the functions necessary for life.
Terms of rehabilitation may be limited to a year, but in reality, recovery lasts for the rest of your life. Gymnastics after a stroke at home should be carried out constantly - with the help of loved ones in the first months and independently until the ability to perform precise movements is fully restored.
What needs to be achieved?
Gymnastics after a stroke is intended for the following purposes:
- restore all previously acquired skills and abilities to perform complex movements;
- increase blood flow, which will favorably affect the state of the whole organism;
- normalize the lymphatic system;
- reduce recovery time.
All the listed results of therapy are realized if daily therapeutic exercises are carried out after a stroke at home. Additionally, drug treatment and therapy on devices are used. If the patient has a personal motivation to recover, then the effectiveness of the exercises will be much higher.
Competent sequence is the basis of physiotherapy exercises. The patient should not experience overload and stressful conditions. Emotional experiences negatively affect the effectiveness of the therapy. Throughout the recovery phase, it is the brain that controls all movements. If it blocks the nervous system, then you can get the opposite effect of training.
Sequence of actions
It is not recommended to try to restore your mobility on your own. Therapeutic exercise is prescribed individually by the attending physician. The main factorguides to the path of successful recovery, is the systematic following of step-by-step instructions. The frequency of repetitions of the set of exercises is constantly adjusted taking into account the well-being of the patient.
Gymnastics after a stroke includes:
- help in the clinic aimed at returning the basic motor skills of the body;
- independent exercises that must be done constantly even in bed;
- help loved ones with immobility of the body in the first days after a stroke.
There are three successive stages in the rehabilitation period:
- Preparing for exercise.
- The beginning of passive movements aimed at restoring muscle memory.
- Active form of training.
What is the basis of treatment?
Therapeutic exercises after a stroke are based on a simple principle: the more often elementary exercises are done, the higher the likelihood of being he althy for the rest of your life. During rehabilitation, the patient performs the exercises systematically, without a reminder and at any possible moment.
All types of repetitive movements are aimed at returning abilities:
- distinguish and react to certain colors;
- hear well and distinguish sounds;
- do simple math calculations;
- reactions when nerve endings are triggered;
- make complex hand movements when playing the piano, conducting or painting.
The brain should gradually restore itsfunctions, including the ability to joke, be happy, and express other feelings through facial expressions and movements.
Exercising in the early days
Gymnastics after a stroke is carried out only after preliminary warming up of the muscles. More often this procedure is carried out using:
- ointments;
- warmers;
- hot bath;
- warming massage.
Immediately after discharge from the clinic, the patient should begin the so-called passive way of doing physical training. They begin with elementary movements of the arm, leg, eye, head. All classes are held in a lying position, because it is still difficult for a person to even sit.
The initial period lasts no more than two weeks, all manipulations with the body are carried out under the supervision of a doctor. Close people assist the patient, helping to move the limbs and supporting him on a moral level.
Self-exercises
In the hospital bed, the patient is already beginning to carry out the same type and simple movements. Each practiced exercise becomes more difficult in agreement with the doctor: the duration or intensity of manipulations increases. With a personal desire, a person will be able to continue to perform the previous training, but combining it with a new one.
Let's see what we can do. Therapeutic exercises after a stroke in bed may include:
- The work of the muscles of the eyelids, eyes. Attempts to roll your eyes, close your eyes tightly.
- Front movement. Grimaces in the form of a smile, an expression of sadness. Conducting classes onwho frown, wrinkle, etc.
- The hands, fingers and toes are constantly being developed.
- The patient can bend the knee, rotate the foot.
- Exercises for the head: turning to the sides on the bed while lying down, trying to raise and lower.
- Any attempt to straighten up while holding on to the top of the bed will help.
Exercise for lower limbs
To restore the body, the restoration of movements of all parts of the body is carried out. So, a separate leg gymnastics is performed after a stroke:
- Finger gymnastics is performed on the foot to restore blood circulation and sensitivity.
- Rotation of the foot with alternating extension like a ballerina.
- Full flexion and extension of the limbs is not yet possible, so you can make simulators with a linen gum or towel so that you can control the movement of the paralyzed leg.
- Trying to move a ball or other object with the foot.
- Circular leg exercises on the bed or on the rise.
Exercise for upper limbs
Initial gymnastics after a stroke involves the development of hands, the quality of human life and all movements performed depend on them. Passive exercises begin to be carried out immediately, with the immobility of the patient. They include clenching fists, curling all fingers, extending the hand, and rotating movements.
It will be useful to count the fingers, bending each of them sequentially. Allexercises can be built in the form of a game to immediately restore emotional memory. After the brush is fully developed, they move on to stretching the muscles of the arm. Passive training achieves uninhibited movement of the joints.
The initial stages of exercise are always the hardest. But, having achieved the first independent movement, the patient feels confident in the cure. Although such an achievement can be a simple wince. Such an insignificant jerk means that muscle control has appeared, and the signal from the brain has reached the right place.
After the first wins over your hand, you can't stop. The patient must constantly try to spread the influence of the brain to all muscle tissues. Gradually, a positive result will come, after which complex hand movements will already be possible. Not all patients return the ability to write after a stroke, but this is more likely due to motivation.
Speech training
Often, patients cannot fully pronounce sounds. To restore lost opportunities, articulatory gymnastics is performed after a stroke. They are combined with mimic movements of the face. Such gymnastics may include the following exercises:
- Puffing out their cheeks, patients try to pronounce simple sounds. At the same time, they stretch their lips with a tube, squeeze them. Releasing air, try to draw in the cheeks.
- The movements of the tongue inside the mouth are practiced. To restore sensitivity, you can bite it lightly.
- Power exercises inside the cavitythe mouth is held, trying to move the jaw, cheeks or lips.
Lung work
All types of training for patients should be accompanied by breathing exercises after a stroke. This type of exercise is aimed at restoring blood circulation and oxygen supply to the fixed parts of the body. It is carried out with any slightest muscle tension.
The task of training with the help of a doctor or a loved one is to make the chest move more intensively. To do this, they apply pressure with their hands on the movement of the lungs with alternating shocks on exhalation or inhalation. The situation is constantly changing. This method makes the patient breathe independently more confidently, with large volumes of air.
Intensive exercise
The initial period, characterized by successful achievements on the path of recovery, should gradually change into more difficult types of training. They are essential for the proper functioning of the heart, lungs, and brain. The active phase of gymnastics is already more fun, the most unpleasant moments are behind.
This rehabilitation period is combined with squats, full morning exercises. You can also train in bed to avoid unnecessary stress on the body. These may include lifting both legs, pelvis, back.
Torso tilts, squats, swings with arms and legs are suitable for standing exercises. All sets of exercises should be selected together with the attending physician. It is recommended to avoid overload in the first months of recovery.
