- Common effects of a stroke
- Speech difficulties
- Brain swelling
- Balance problems
- Weakness
- Muscle spasticity
- Eye disorders
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When a stroke occurs, the most important thing is reaction time - the sooner the appropriate treatment is administered, the greater the chances of the patient's recovery. Rehabilitation after a stroke episode is a complex process. Find out how to get back into shape and fight the most common effects of stroke.
Common effects of a stroke
A stroke is caused when a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain is blocked or ruptured. Treatment of a stroke depends on the type of stroke and the severity of its side effects. The pace of recovery may be influenced by age, location of the stroke focus, patient's motivation or he alth condition.
The most common consequences of a stroke include:
- Speech difficulties
- Brain swelling
- Balance problems
- Weakness
- Muscle spasticity
- Eye disorders
Speech difficulties
People who have had a stroke may have difficulty understanding the language, choosing the right words, and being spoken correctly. There may also be aphasia, which is a loss of speech ability. It is an individual disease, no two cases of aphasia are the same, and each person experiences it in their own way.
The neurologist can refer the patient to speech therapy. Speech therapist will help repair speech skills lost as a result of stroke. There are many programs and applications that can help you learn words and communicate.
Brain swelling
Typically, swelling in the brain occurs immediately after a stroke occurs and can lead to other serious he alth problems, such as:
- convulsions,
- memory loss
- difficulty speaking.
Significant brain swelling is worrying and requires intense monitoring. If the patient has been hospitalized after a stroke, the intracranial pressure is regularly tested by inserting a small, extremely pressure-sensitive probe through the skull. There are also medications and surgical techniques available that can reduce this ailment.
Balance problems
This is one of the most common effects of a stroke. They usually occur because of weakness, but can be caused by damage to the cerebellum, which is responsible for coordination.
In case of problems with keeping balance, recommendsgait training is usually a regular feature of stroke physiotherapy. In addition, the therapist works on strengthening the spinal cord.
Weakness
Stroke patients complain of weakness in the muscles of the face, legs, and arms. They often have trouble keeping their arms straight and in some cases may not be able to move the limb concerned. This depends on which blood vessels have died - usually the hemispheres of the brain control opposite sides of the body, so if you have a stroke in the right side of your brain you may feel weakness in the left side of your body.
If the patient's condition is stable in terms of heart function, respiration, blood pressure and internal bleeding, physical therapy can be started to improve he alth. Thanks to this, activities such as getting dressed, eating or taking a bath can be significantly improved.
Muscle spasticity
A very common complication after a stroke is muscle stiffness and tightness. More than 25% of people who have had a stroke experience this problem. This has to do with the effects of dead or ruptured blood vessels on motor control and muscle tone. The muscles are unable to receive signals from the brain to let them relax.
Doctors in such cases recommend medications or injections that will allow you to relax enough to be able to do physical therapy exercises that will strengthen the damaged muscles. Most often, people with spasticity receive injections into or near broken parts of the body.
Eye disorders
Vision deficits may result from strokes of the temporal, parietal or occipital lobe. Deterioration of eyesight affects more than 50% of people experiencing a stroke episode. The most common loss of peripheral vision is the loss of peripheral vision, that is, of seeing objects that are outside the center of the field of view.
In order to reduce vision disorders, the doctor most often sends the patient to rehabilitation classes concerning this sense. If rehabilitation does not improve the problem, treatment consists of adapting to changes in vision.