Post-Stroke Care: 7 Invaluable Benefits of Physical Therapy

If you’ve suffered a stroke, your brain was temporarily deprived of the blood, nutrients, and oxygen needed to function. During a stroke, brain cells die, which can cause a variety of impairments.

Every 40 seconds in the United States, somebody suffers a stroke, and about one in four of those people had suffered at least one other stroke previously. Stroke is a leading cause of death in the United States and also a leading cause of disability. 

At Advanced Medical Care, our experienced team works to help you recover an independent, active life when you’ve had a stroke. Our cardiologists, neurologists, and physical therapists combine forces to design an effective, individualized treatment plan.

Why is physical therapy (PT) so important to your recovery after a stroke? Below, we provide seven invaluable benefits of post-stroke PT.

Get stroke care right away

Strokes can be ischemic (caused by blocked blood vessels), or hemorrhagic (caused by blood clots). A stroke is always a medical emergency. If you notice the “FAST” signs of stroke, call 911 right away:

• F-facial drooping
• A-arm weakness
• S-slurred speech
• T-time is of the essence: call 911 immediately

The sooner you start physical therapy after a stroke, the more likely you can recover lost functions. Ideally, as long as you’re stable, rehab should start within 24 hours after your stroke. 

Benefits of physical therapy after stroke

A stroke can deprive you of the ability to talk and control your body, and it may even affect your memories and cognition. Here’s how physical therapy can be invaluable in your recovery.

1. Restores motor skills

After a stroke, you may have trouble performing even the most basic activities of daily living. Our first priority is restoring your physical strength and relieving pain so you can improve your mobility and dexterity and get back to living independently as soon as possible.

2. Improves balance

The loss of motor control that often occurs after a stroke puts you at risk for a fall. In fact, your balance may be so poor that you can’t even stand safely.

Through a series of exercises and sometimes with the assistance of specialized equipment, you teach your body how to find itself in space and adjust accordingly. Physical therapy also helps you learn how to use assistive devices, such as canes or a walker, that you may need temporarily or longer term.

3. Extends your range of motion

After a stroke, your muscles may be tightly contracted, which makes them difficult to move or to move fluidly. In addition to balance and strengthening exercises, your physical therapist concentrates on stretching your muscles to make them more flexible and resilient. 

4. Helps manage pain

As you rehabilitate your injured tissues, your PT program may provide supportive therapies that help you heal. These could include massage and ultrasound, which help break up areas of scarring, stimulate healing, and calm overactive nerves. At Advanced Medical Care, our team also offers shock wave therapy.

5. Improves your cardiovascular health

Ischemic stroke is considered to be an effect of cardiovascular disease. If you have atherosclerosis in the arteries that service your brain, you’re more likely to suffer an ischemic stroke. An effective PT program improves your cardiovascular health through regular exercise.

6. Restores sensory losses

When you have a stroke, you may not be able to feel your limbs. Using mirror therapy and other techniques, your physical therapist helps you re-establish neural links so that you can connect with your body again. 

7. May prevent subsequent strokes

A stroke occurs in your brain, but many factors contribute to the blockage that cut off oxygen and blood. That’s why we emphasize lifelong changes, including a physical therapy routine you can continue on your own, to help you avoid another stroke.

Don’t delay post-stroke care

Did you or someone you love suffer from a stroke? Contact us today in Queens or Brooklyn, New York, to schedule physical therapy to speed your recovery.