Those who have experienced a loved one who has had a stroke know how debilitating this condition can be. A stroke can rob someone of movement, speech, hearing or even eyesight. Depending upon the severity of the stroke, a person can be completely incapacitated.
Physiotherapy for stroke patients normally beings as soon as the patient is out of danger. A physiotherapist, working with a team of doctors and nurses, will evaluate the stroke patient's condition and determine the best treatment for the patient. Depending on what area of the brain the stroke affected will determine what treatments are needed.
In many cases, a stroke will attack one side of the brain, causing numbness and loss of limb movement on the other side of the body. Interestingly enough, the right side of the brain tends to control the left side of the body and vice versa. Many people who suffer a stroke tend to end up with one side of their body fine and the other side useless.
Physiotherapy can enable a stroke victim make anything from a partial to full recovery. Success in this endeavor depends on the severity of the stroke as well as the will of the patient. Many people who have suffered strokes end up resuming normal, active lives and no one is even the wiser of their previous condition,
Although a stroke can affect anyone at any age group, older people are more prone to stroke. Unfortunately, older people also have the most difficult time adjusting to the treatments prescribed by the physiotherapist. Physiotherapy for stroke patients can be very trying for the therapist who is working with a person who is too stubborn to do his or her exercises or who resists all attempts to help them. In addition to being physically disabling, a stroke can be mentally disabling, too. It can result in confusion as well as severe depression. Physiotherapy for stroke patients is one of the most difficult specialties of practice. However, it can be the most rewarding.
By properly following a treatment program and working with a team of doctors, nurses and their physiotherapist, a patient can usually recover quite nicely from a stroke. This usually requires a bit of time, depending upon the severity of the stroke, and those who are undergoing treatment must be patient. Counseling is also advised for people who have undergone stroke to help them deal with the treatment as well as the depression that usually follows this incident.
Generally, a person who has had a stroke will be taken to a hospital and a series of tests will be run by a medical team. Once it is clear that the person is out of medical danger, he or she will be transferred to a rehab center where, under a team of nurses and a physiotherapist, they will begin their recovery process. Because a stroke can be so traumatic to an individual, physiotherapy for stroke patients must be administered on a personal level by a therapist who can develop a good rapport with their patient and gain their trust.
The rewards a physiotherapist receives after seeing a stroke patient recover and go back to leading a productive life, however, far outweigh any hardship suffered during the treatment process.
