The Independent (for Stroke Awareness Day)
The Stroke Report
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- November 24, 2015
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Although the brain is in a heightened state of plasticity immediately after stroke, neuroplasticity may be activated throughout the recovery process; whether it has been a few months or a few decades since a stroke, the brain is still capable of healing and rewiring.
Studies have shown that the brain is changing itself throughout an entire life time. This means that recovery is continuous. Whenever you stimulate your brain with positive, consistent and repetitive stimulus, the brain will respond.
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#strokesurvivorscan #neurorehab #strokeexercise #strokerecovery #strokerehabilitation #neuroplasticity #ARNIstrokerehab #strokesurvivors #arnistrokecharity
Knowledge is power.; and even more so for stroke recovery!
In the field of stroke rehabilitation there are new advances, major and minor, emerging regularly. You need to keep as current as possible. You need to know what you need. And if you find things that seem appropriate to your needs, investigate them further to work out whether they’re suitable applications to streamline your retraining or self-management.
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#strokesurvivorscan #neurorehab #strokeexercise #strokerecovery #strokerehabilitation #neuroplasticity #ARNIstrokerehab #strokesurvivors #arnistrokecharity
Tom doing sledgehammer levering work in his home gym with his homemade loadable axe-lever. Tom had this made at his local blacksmiths. This isn't something for 99.9% of stroke survivors to be doing, but there's no reason not to work your grip and wrist power as hard as possible, however possible, on your stronger and weaker sides. Type in 'weaver stick work' to Google for an example of how to do lever-bar work for wrist power.
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#arnistrokecharity #strokesurvivorscan #strokesurvivors #strokerecovery #neuroplasticity #strokeexercise #neurorehab #ARNIstrokerehab #strokerehabilitation
Exercise: Wall squat hold
Did you notice that this technique is called a wall-squat hold? There is a reason that you don’t attempt to turn it into a squat, and try and rub yourself up and down a wall. Such an attempt won’t work for stroke survivors, mainly because the affected foot will slip away, and you could easily be unable to slide up the wall because of the friction involved.
This exercise is to slide down the wall and hold until near failure, then lean forward, push away from the wall and stand upright. You should not feel pain or discomfort in your knees at any time during this exercise. When you think you are coming towards the end of failure, just move to a standing position. Over time, your judgement concerning extending the failure window and successful successful completion of the set will be honed.
Read full Techniquein The Successful Stroke Survivor book by Tom Balchin
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#strokerehabilitation #strokeexercise #ARNIstrokerehab #neuroplasticity #neurorehab #strokerecovery #strokesurvivorscan #strokesurvivors
5 Factors You Can Control in Stroke Recovery
Neurological rehabilitation is a complex process, influenced by many factors – most of which are outside of your control. You can’t control your age, how big your stroke was, or how severe your deficits are. You have limited control over your access to skilled therapy and whether you have a solid support network of friends and family in place. While this lack of control can leave you feeling helpless, there are some important aspects of your recovery that you can take responsibility for.
Here's how these 5 personal factors can impact your stroke recovery:
Recognition
In order to improve, first you must have awareness that there is a problem. If you think you speak just fine, it’s highly unlikely you’ll put in the time and effort required to change your speech. Some stroke and brain injury survivors are unaware they have problems with communication or cognition, a condition called anosognosia, so when they come to therapy, they don’t understand why they’re being asked to do the tasks. Building insight into the problem is an important first step in rehabilitation.
Motivation
After you recognize you have a problem, you must have the desire to change. If you know your speech is slurred but don’t care, why would you put in the time and effort to improve it? Some people lack motivation because they’re suffering from clinical depression, while some strokes physically damage the neural networks and dopamine pathways that control motivation. If you are feeling chronically unmotivated to improve a known impairment, talk to your doctor. And remember, it’s the person with the problem who must want to change – not just their family.
Determination
Having the desire to change is a great start, but you also need the resolve to do the work. Changing the brain is possible with repetition and time. There are no easy fixes, so if you really want to change, you have to be prepared to put in the effort – especially when it gets hard. Setting up small tangible rewards for yourself along the way can keep you moving forward when changes in your communication are harder to see.
Direction
You know there’s a problem, you want to change, and you’re ready to work hard – now you need a road map. This is where having a good therapist can help you set realistic goals, helping you know where you’re going and how to get there. You’ll receive instructions, exercises, or activities to help you improve.
Conviction
Deep down, you have to believe that change is possible. Hope is a powerful drug that makes therapy so much more effective. Some people hear from their doctors that they won’t get any better after 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year… These timelines are untrue and can destroy hope. Hope alone won’t make you better, but without hope, progress is rare.
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#arnistrokecharity #strokesurvivorscan #strokesurvivors #strokerecovery #neuroplasticity #strokeexercise #neurorehab #strokerehabilitation #ARNIstrokerehab #neurorehabilitation
Have you ever thought about doing core exercises on a chair? (no, me neither). Sit on a hard chair so the back of it is by your good arm. Then lean back, safely, as far as you can, to work your core. So its the same exercise without having to get down to the floor. So wherever you are shuffle forward a bit to give yourself some space to lean back and you can do it anywhere. Clever!
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#strokesurvivorscan #neurorehab #strokeexercise #strokerecovery #strokerehabilitation #neuroplasticity #ARNIstrokerehab
Need a last minute gift for a stroke survivor? How about a copy of The Successful Stroke Survivor. You can buy a Kindle book as a gift. These notes from Amazon explain how to do it.
To purchase a Kindle book as a gift:
From the Kindle Store in your desktop browser, select the book you want to purchase as a gift.
(Note: Free books, books on pre-order, and subscriptions cannot be gifted at this time).
On the product detail page, click the Buy for others button.
Enter the personal email address of your gift recipient.
Tip: If you are unsure of the email address for your recipient, you can select Email the gift to me before placing your order. This allows you to forward the gift email or print and personally deliver it to your recipient. The gift recipient can enter the Gift Claim Code from the email, after logging in to their Amazon account.
Enter a delivery date and an optional gift message.
Click Place your order to finish your gift purchase using your Amazon 1-Click payment method.
You can redeliver a Kindle book gift you've purchased by going to Your Digital Orders in Your Account. From the Order Summary page, click the Resend E-mail button.
#strokerecovery #neurorehab #strokeexercise #neurorehabilitation #strokerehabilitation #strokesurvivorscan #neuroplasticity #strokerehab #strokerecoveryexercises #exerciseafterstroke
So now you can buy, or someone can buy for you, a copy of The Successful Stroke Survivor.
The Successful Stroke Survivor eBook : Balchin, Tom: Amazon.co.uk: Books
www.amazon.co.uk
The Successful Stroke Survivor eBook : Balchin, Tom: Amazon.co.uk: Books
A habit is something that you do with little effort because you’ve done it hundreds of times before. Repetitive action creates strong pathways in the brain for that specific habit, which is why habits eventually become “mindless.”
In contrast to this, a stroke can mean that someone has to exert more effort to perform activities of daily living, such as getting dressed. That’s because the stroke damaged the strong neural pathways that once controlled those skills.
Luckily, the brain can rewire itself to rebuild those neural pathways again. As with all habits, you won’t see results without consistent effort; repeated on a regular basis.
www.arni.uk.com
#arnistrokecharity #stroke #strokesurvivors #neuroplasticity #neurorehab #strokerecovery #neurorehab #strokeexercise #strokesurvivorscan
ARNI Stroke Charity for stroke survivors, families and healthcare professionals: providing specialist rehabilitation and exercise support after hospital and community physiotherapy finishes.
www.arni.uk.com
#arnistrokecharity #strokesurvivorscan #strokesurvivors #strokerecovery #neuroplasticity #strokeexercise #neurorehab #ARNIstrokerehab #strokerehabilitation
A habit is something that you do with little effort because you’ve done it hundreds of times before. Repetitive action creates strong pathways in the brain for that specific habit, which is why habits eventually become “mindless.”
In contrast to this, a stroke can mean that someone has to exert more effort to perform activities of daily living, such as getting dressed. That’s because the stroke damaged the strong neural pathways that once controlled those skills.
Luckily, the brain can rewire itself to rebuild those neural pathways again. As with all habits, you won’t see results without consistent effort; repeated on a regular basis.
if you want help to develop good habits (that help with your recovery) then call us on 0203 053 0111 or email support@arni.uk.com. We have trainers throughout the country who can help you.
www.arni.uk.com
#arnistrokecharity #stroke #strokesurvivors #neuroplasticity #neurorehab #strokerecovery #neurorehab #strokeexercise #strokesurvivorscan