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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

7 hours ago

One stroke survivor’s decade-long mission proves that the most resilient social infrastructure for recovery is often forged by those who have walked the path themselves 🧠.
Julie Lesslie, a dedicated Croxley mother and long-standing friend of the ARNI Charity, first established her vital support group in 2014 to ensure that local stroke survivors were never left to navigate the complexities of life after a brain injury in isolation.
Having recognised that clinical discharge often marks the beginning of the real struggle, she has spent the last twelve years fostering a peer-support network that prioritises the psychological and social reintegration necessary for a high-performance recovery 🏡.
This grassroots commitment to long-term welfare aligns seamlessly with the ethos of the ARNI Stroke Rehab UK Institute, which has consistently argued that social support is the essential fuel for intensive physical retraining.
While the ARNI Charity provides the elite physiological strategies needed to overcome hemiparesis, Julie’s work ensures that survivors possess the emotional resilience and community connections required to sustain such a demanding rehabilitative regime over many years 🤝.
Today, Julie remains a proactive force in the community, continuing to adapt her group's offerings to meet the evolving needs of survivors by providing a forum where academic insights into neuroplasticity are translated into daily functional victories.
Her enduring efforts serve as a bit of reminder that independence after stroke is seldom achieved in a vacuum... but is instead built through the collective wisdom and tenacity of a motivated survivor-led collective 🦾. Good one Julie!
www.arni.uk.com
#ARNIStrokeRehab #StrokeSurvivor #CroxleyGreen #CommunityRecovery #NeuroRehab
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

7 hours ago

ARNI runs the ONLY available stroke exercise and rehabilitation course of any kind for trainers in the UK which teaches experienced therapists and exercise instructors how to continue the rehabilitation path of stroke and other acquired brain injury survivors.
bit.ly/45Jlwkt
#stroke #strokesurvivors #neuroplasticity #strokerecoverysuccess #strokerehabilitationtraining #neuroplasticity #strokeexercise #strokerecoveryexercises #exerciseafterstroke
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

8 hours ago

Forget the myth of the static plateau, as new evidence proves that your 'strong' side holds the untapped potential to revolutionise your stroke rehab training 🧠. It's also what ARNI Stroke Rehab UK has been doing for 25 years as one of it's principles of stroke rehab as it worked for Dr Tom way back when, and was emerging in the evidence as a viable tactic to try instead of passive treatment...

An RCT, published yesterday, 2nd February, in the prestigious journal JAMA Neurology, has demonstrated that targeted therapy for the less-affected arm significantly enhances motor control and movement quality (as stroke survivors, we know this). This rigorous research, spearheaded by a collaborative team from Penn State and the University of Southern Cal, utilised a comparative framework to prove that addressing the limb often overlooked by standard protocols leads to superior functional outcomes when measured against current best-practice benchmarks ⚡.

The academic significance of these findings lies in the empirical proof that motor skills in the less-impaired side can be meaningfully refined even several years after the initial neurological event, effectively dismantling the narrative that functional gains must eventually cease in the chronic phase 🦾. By focusing on the sophisticated dexterity and proximal stability of the less-affected arm, stroke survivors can achieve a more symmetrical level of bilateral coordination, which basically serves to alleviate the excessive compensatory burden often placed upon the paretic side and enhances overall quality of life 🌟.

This progressive, evidence-based approach aligns with the professional-grade philosophy of the ARNI Stroke Rehab UK Institute, which has consistently advocated for a total-body strategy rather than a reductive focus on isolated deficits alone 🦾. The ARNI Charity remains dedicated to ensuring that survivors are equipped with the specialised strategies required to optimise every available neural pathway, recognising that the entire post-stroke physique must be trained as a single, integrated functional unit#ARNIstrokerehabc#neuroplasticityh#JAMANeurologyicity #JAMANeurology
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

11 hours ago

Life after a stroke should be full of curiosity. Every stroke is different, and every recovery will be different. If someone tells you that you’ll never be able to walk, stay curious and keep pursuing anyway. You’ll never know what you can achieve unless you try.

There is always hope for recovery – it doesn't matter how long ago your stroke was: whether it’s been months, years, or decades, do not give up hope.
www.arni.uk.com
#neuroplasticity #strokerehab #strokesurvivorscan #strokeexercise #neurorehabilitation #strokerehabilitation #strokerecovery #neurorehab #exerciseafterstroke #strokerecoveryexercises
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

14 hours ago

Consistent stimulation is the best way to rewire your brain. Without consistency doing functional retraining, newer connections in your brain can start to weaken and you might lose some of your hard work. This means that if you try to work on your rehabilitation every day, you will have the best chances of functional gain over the long term. How to develop a customised 'plan' for what you should do? It's actually quite hard to work out, and often trial and error plays a big part. But one thing's for sure, you've GOT to make a start now.

www.strokesolutions.co.uk/product/successful-stroke-survivor-dvds-full-set-incl-bonus-dvd-traini#neurorehabilitationc#strokeexercisei#arnistrokecharitye#neurorehabs#StrokeRehab #neuroplasticityo#strokesurvivorsasticity #strokesurvivors
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

15 hours ago

Of interest to ARNI Stroke Rehab UK: pioneering research in the US. led by a Medical University of South Carolina team, including Dr Stephanie Aghamoosa and Dr Michelle Woodbury, is proving that the mind and body must be trained as one...

Their NIH-funded study, just published in Brain Sciences, introduces the COG-OT framework, which integrates cognitive treatment directly with occupational therapy. This dual-track approach ensures that survivors do not just work on physical movement in isolation but simultaneously build the essential mental foundations, such as attention and executive function, required to drive meaningful motor learning during the most volatile stages of rehabilitation🧠🦾

This sophisticated model of care aligns perfectly with the overarching mission of the ARNI Stroke Rehab UK Institute, which has long championed the necessity of a multidisciplinary mindset for long-term success. While the ARNI Charity focuses on providing the elite physical strategies and task-specific practice needed for functional independence, we recognise that a survivor’s cognitive readiness is often the engine that powers their physical progress. By combining cognitive resilience with rigorous physical drills, we can ensure that the brain is not only capable of learning new movements but is also robust enough to sustain the intense focus required for plasticity to occur⚡️✨

For survivors reading this, this takeaway probably is that this research validates the idea that your recovery is a high-performance endeavour where every mental and physical variable must be optimised. The COG-OT approach suggests that by addressing cognitive barriers alongside physical ones, we can move away from a one-size-fits-all model and toward a far more precise and effective form of re-training. As Dr Balchin continues to integrate these evidence-based principles into the ARNI Approach, we at ARNI want to empower survivors to take full control of their journeys, ensuring that their mental clarity and physical strength work in perfect harmony to reclaim a life of autonomy and purpose 🦾🌟
www.arni.uk.com
#ARNIStrokeRehab #Neuroplasticity #CognitiveRehab #StrokeRecovery2026 #BrainSciences
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

1 day ago

a pic of Tom to inspire you - 4 and a bit years after stroke. Deadlift from floor with ten 20kg plates. All Ihe had was some Gold's gym plates he bought, an EZ bar and a chinning bar. He added tiny bits of weights every week to the EZ bar, no more than a couple of washers, adding up to quarter of kilo. So it never felt any much heavier. Along with the towel chins he negated total hemiparesis on the left side of his body, 1 inch drop shoulder, but never managed to beat drop foot. But hey.! And one other thing, he'd never lifted weights before stroke. So, Hope this gives you pause for thought. The evidence shows quite clearly now that increase strength and you gain back function after stroke. So, forget about social media and concentrate on getting strong, preferably in a room in your house with chintzy curtains! 😉 Dr Tom says Get Strong 😉
www.arn#neuroplasticityp#arnistrokecharityo#neurorehabilitationb#strokesurvivorscanr#StrokeRehabt#neurorehabn#strokeexercisek#strokerecoveryk#strokerehabilitationbilitation
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

1 day ago

During stroke recovery, each small sign of progress is a huge reason to celebrate — because rewiring the brain to regain lost function is no small feat!

Call us on 0203 053 0111 or email support@arni.uk.com to find out if there's a trainer near you who can work with you on your recovery.

www.arni.uk.#arnistrokecharitya#strokerehabilitationa#strokesurvivorscanr#neurorehabilitationa#StrokeRehabr#strokeexerciserc#arnistrokecharitya#stroket#strokesurvivorsiv#neuroplasticityicity
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ARNI Stroke Rehab & Recovery

1 day ago

A recent study from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) suggests that just 30 minutes of daily sunlight exposure could significantly boost recovery outcomes for stroke survivors. This finding of course means that we in England are completely stuffed 😉 😉

We do like to moan about our weather - but the research is kind of interesting - it indicates that Vitamin D synthesis and the natural circadian rhythm regulation provided by the sun play a role in reducing post-stroke inflammation and enhancing neuroplasticity. This seems to add a biological layer to the recovery puzzle... ☀️🧠

Despite our lack of reliable sunshine, the principle of optimising every available recovery variable remains the hallmark of the intrepid stroke survivor. If the British clouds are blocking our Vitamin D, it means we've gotta double down on our functional task training to ensure the brain is receiving the strongest possible signals for change. We may not have the luxury of a 30-minute daily sunbath in the UK, but we like to think we have the home-grown grit and the expert-led training infrastructure to ensure that our recoveries are possible, regardless of the forecast ✨
www.arni.uk#ARNIstrokerehabR#strokerecoveryo#neuroplasticityicity
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