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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

10 hours ago

Here are 6 of my best and creative tips, from one stroke survivor to another, that you can use to try to train to cope with drop foot:

1. Alphabet writing with your toes 📝
For a creative and focused exercise, try "writing" the alphabet in the air with your affected foot. It's a fun way to practice and strengthen the muscles that lift your toes and control your ankle.
2. Resistance band "foot power-ups" 💪
Level up your foot exercises with a resistance band! While seated, loop the band around your foot and push and pull against it. Think of it as giving your foot a powerful workout to improve strength and range of motlion.
3. The Lazy Susan ankle rotator 🔄
Use a Lazy Susan (or any similar rotating tray) to gently practice ankle rotation. Place your foot on it and use your hand to help guide a smooth, circular motion. This can help with strengthening and flexibility.
4. Footwear with smarts 👟
Shoes can make a huge difference! Creative solutions include adaptive shoes like Cadense, which have special friction technology to make walking easier. For a lower-cost option, ensure your shoes have firm support, non-slip soles, and fit well to accommodate any braces.
5. Add a beat to your steps 🎶
Walking to a rhythm can improve coordination and motivation! Play your favorite music and practice tapping your foot to the beat. This helps retrain coordinated movements and can make exercise more enjoyable.
6. Make your own 'balance garden' 🧘
Create a fun and safe space at home to practice balance. Use different textures on the floor, such as mats, thick towels, or foam pads, and practice standing and shifting your weight. With support nearby, this creative practice can help you feel more stable.

Stay positive and keep moving forward! You're an inspiration❤️
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#ARNIStrokeRecovery #FootDrop #StrokeSurvivor #PhysicalTherapy #AdaptiveLiving #Motivation #EmbraceTheJourney
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

11 hours ago

Exercise: Hip push-pulls

This movement is fantastic. It is a static, gross motor movement exercise which can be turned into a warm-up exercise. It resembles a deadlift movement with no weight.

Find out more about this exercise in The Successful Stroke Survivor book by Tom. Balchin
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#neuroplasticity #strokerehabilitation #neurorehab #strokeexercise #strokerehab #strokesurvivorscan #strokerecovery #ARNIstrokerehab
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

13 hours ago

A bit of a stroke rehab tech history for you today!👨‍🔬🧠 Many years ago, researchers at Rice University developed a pioneering device known as the 'Rice Wrist': a prototype exoskeleton for the wrist and forearm 🦾 While you won't see this exact model on the market today, its legacy is a HUGE part of the incredible upper limb robotic exoskeletons that are now helping stroke survivors in clinics all over the world.

The Rice Wrist was a crucial stepping stone, allowing scientists to explore how haptic feedback and intensive, repetitive therapy could help rebuild motor function after a stroke. 📈 By carefully studying how the device interacted with patients and their progress, the research team gathered vital insights that paved the way for more refined and user-friendly technology. Think of it as a historical artifact of rehabilitation science! 🏛️

So, what happened to it? 🤔 It fulfilled its purpose as a research prototype and is not, and never was, a product for sale. The findings and patents from that project have been instrumental in informing the design of modern-day robots that are helping people regain movement today. It’s a perfect example of how academic research drives innovation in real-world clinical applications ❤️ It's proof that what starts as an idea on campus can eventually lead to a better quality of life for thousands. 🚀
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#ARNIStrokeRehab #Rehabilitation #Robotics #GeorgiaTech #Research #Innovation #Neuroplasticity #UpperLimbRehab
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

15 hours ago

Every exercise you do isn't just 'one' exercise and every workout isn't just a 'workout'. Everything you do is related. They are all just a point on a continuum that must constantly be improving. Improvement is the name of the game!

If you want some help with your recovery call us on 0203 053 0111 or email support@arni.uk.com to find out if t here's a trainer near you who can help you wi#strokerehabilitation.#strokerecoveryt#ARNIstrokerehabo#neurorehabc#strokerehabt#arnistrokecharityh#arnistrokee#strokeexercisec#strokesurvivorscan##ARNIstrokerehabstrokesurvivorscan #ARNIstrokerehab
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

16 hours ago

📢 Absolutely incredible news for stroke survivors and the world of rehab! 🤖🚶♀️ Associate Professor Aaron Young and his brilliant team at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech in the U.S., have just unveiled a game-changing AI exoskeleton designed specifically to help individuals regain lower limb mobility after a stroke.

Traditional robotic exoskeletons often fall short because they're designed around the steady gaits of healthy individuals, forcing us survivors to adapt to the machine rather than the other way around. Young's team set out to change this paradigm, and their solution is nothing short of brilliant! ✨

Their breakthrough lies in harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create an exoskeleton that learns from the user's unique gait in real-time. 🧠⚙️. Sensors on the hip exoskeleton, which provides targeted support at the hip joint, capture the user's movements, and the AI translates those signals into precisely the right amount of power to assist each individual step.

This AI system can accurately learn a person's gait pattern in just one to two minutes and adapts as they move. This speed and accuracy have been demonstrated in tests, showing a 70% reduction in errors compared to standard exoskeletons when tracking stroke patients' walking p#ARNIstrokerehabw#strokerecoveryR#AIInnovation #exoskeletone#georgiatechresearcho#rehabilitationi#FutureOfMobilityhabilitation #FutureOfMobility
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

19 hours ago

Task-specific practice is said to be one of the best weapons we have to help retrain the brain. I Meaning simply to train the action to be performed in a natural environment. E.G. if you wanted to lift a mug and drink from it, you take a mug and practice lifting and drinking from it, over and over again … and attempt to improve progressively and consistently.

For those with significant supper limb spasticity to retrain the ability to open a glasses case to get your specs, for instance… you practise opening up a glasses case.

Task training is critical as it will ‘force’ you to practice using your more-affected limb.

Try to do MORE with your more-affected upper limb each day. Repeated attempts in training creates a form of practice that can potentially lead to further improvement in performance. The ideal is to find oneself in a ‘virtuous circle’, in which spontaneous limb use and motor performance will reinforce each other and re-teach your body to control the position of an affected limb.

Many stroke survivors can be assisted to retrain by advising them to have one place and a set amount of times per week in which they devote time to retraining. I tend to promote the importance of setting up a small ‘training area’ in your house. It needs only to be a few square metres wide. With a chair and a small table with a task-board, more advanced challenge board and other small items on it.

You need to find your own task specifics and work on ‘close-simulations’. Even though they may not be as effective for motor learning as performing the actual task, and remember, we are after significant performance improvement via task practice, you can see that this approach gives you some great advantages. It keeps you in the training area, and working on-task, and keeps you safe. Outside the training area, you need to make an effort to practice tasks (or the components that you can manage), as part of your ADLs; noting any changes.

One great example: I created ‘DJ-Therapy’ to get my upper limb working. I basically made up a hugely successful paradigm which was suitable for me. How I did it is all listed in The Successful Stroke Survivor.

Making training ‘not training’ is one of the biggest secrets to getting optimal success with upper limb function. I wish more people would have a go at this. Have a think about what might be suitable for YOU to keep YOU practising and interested.
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#neuroplasticity #ARNIstrokerehab #strokeexercise #strokerecovery #neurorehab #strokerehabilitation #strokesurvivorscan #strokerehab
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

1 day ago

Have you ever heard of 'Beauty Parlor Stroke Syndrome'? 💇‍♀️ A new study highlights this rare but serious condition, caused by the hyperextension of the neck when you lean back into a salon shampoo bowl.

For a small number of people, this position can put pressure on the vertebral arteries in the neck, leading to a stroke. Research shows that 80% of those affected were women of varying ages. While extremely rare, it's a good reminder to protect your neck 🧠 Next time you're at the salon, you can ask for a rolled-up towel to support your neck or adjust the chair to prevent it from being tilted too far back.

Signs and symptoms of BPSS are similar to a stroke and can include weakness or numbness on one side of the body, confusion, trouble speaking or swallowing, vision changes, dizziness, and severe headaches. Additional symptoms may involve nausea, vomiting, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and vertigo or loss of balance. If these symptoms occur, it is crucial to seek immediate medical attention.

Please share this to your friends to spread awareness and help everyone stay safe! #ARNIstrokerehabc#hairsalonr#beautysaloni#strokeawarenessl#womenshealthr#PublicHealthHealth #PublicHealth
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

2 days ago

⚠️ Don't skip breakfast! A major new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has revealed a strong link between missing your morning meal and a significantly increased risk of death from stroke. 🧠

Researchers found that forgoing breakfast was associated with a higher likelihood of cardiovascular events. Experts are urging everyone to make time for this vital meal, emphasizing its role in maintaining overall health.

Making a simple change to your daily routine could be a key step in protecting your long-term health. 🍳🍓☕
www.arni.uk.#ARNIstrokerehabR#breakfastforhealthe#StrokePreventionn#hearthealthe#HealthyHabitsa#medicalresearche#cardiologyology
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