has started training with Andy Fox in Borough Green. Welcome, Sheila – we hope ARNI helps you to rebuild the way you want to.
Sheila Martin
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- November 16, 2015
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Time to think about getting your free Health Check now ✨. If you're aged 40 to 74 and haven't had a check-up in the last five years, this simple NHS appointment is your best defense against the silent markers of stroke and heart disease 🏥🩺. It's designed to spot early warning signs like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes long before they cause a crisis, giving you the power to make small changes now that lead to a long and healthy life 💪.
During this quick session at your local GP surgery or pharmacy, a healthcare professional will check your stats and provide you with a personalised plan to lower your risks 📉🍎. Many people feel perfectly fine even when their blood pressure is dangerously high, which is why these checks are so vital for catching issues that don't always have obvious symptoms. By spending just 20 minutes with an expert, you are effectively 'servicing' your body and ensuring that your circulatory system stays in top shape for years to come 🛠❤️.
We often wait until something goes wrong to seek medical advice, but the goal of the NHS Health Check is to keep you out of the hospital in the first place. It's a completely free service that provides peace of mind for you and your loved ones, so if you've not had checks lately, m#NHSHealthChecke#strokepreventions#HealthChecka#KnowYourNumbersPrevention #HealthCheck #KnowYourNumbers
Sadly, it depends who you get! My GP refused to put me on bp meds or statins because I was too young, he said! When I stroked X2 in my 40's, he told me I had a viral infection.... and then long term covid! 🤷♂️
First 2026 ARNI instructor course starts on 24 January 24
This is the ONLY FUNCTIONAL REHABILITATION & EXERCISE TRAINING QUALIFICATION CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN THE UK which teaches experienced therapists and exercise instructors how to continue the rehabilitation path of stroke and other acquired brain injury survivor.
The course if for therapists and exercise instructors who are Level 3 and above or suitably qualified – who wish to teach functional rehabilitation & exercise training after stroke and receive regular recommendations/referrals from the ARNI Institute.
Find out more, and how to register for the accreditation here arni.uk.com/instructors/
#StrokeRecovery #exerciseafterstroke #strokerecoveryexercises #strokerecovery
THE LATEST STROKE RECOVERY NEWS INCL. The Active-Passive Assistive Motion Drop-foot Trainer -
Passive range of motion exercises for stroke survivors have many benefits, including reducing spasticity and improving mobility. These exercises involve a therapist or the survivors non affected side moving the affected side. Although survivors should feel as though they are stretching while completing passive range of motion exercises, the exercises should never be painful. F
or passive range of motion exercise recommendations, call us on 0203 053 0111 or email support@arni.uk.com to find out if there's a trainer near you who can help you.
www.arni.uk#strokerecoveryo#neuroplasticityi#strokeexerciser#strokerehabilitationa#neurorehabilitationa#Neurorehabr#strokerehabr#strokesurvivorscanr#strokerecoveryexercisesc#exerciseafterstroketroke
Happy 25th Anniversary to ARNI Stroke Rehab Charity & its teaching Institute! 🎈✨ It is truly incredible to look back at life-changing journey which began in Lingfield, Surrey, way back in 2001. After suffering a massive stroke himself as a young man, Dr. Tom Balchin refused to accept the 'plateau' theory and started rehabilitating a small group of just five fellow survivors in a local hall 🏠🦾. What started as a grassroots effort to find better ways to recover has blossomed over two and a half decades into a powerhouse of neurological rehabilitation that has touched thousands of lives across the globe 🌍❤️.
Most people don't realize the sheer level of dedication behind the scenes, but here is a truly inspiring fact: Dr. Tom has led ARNI as a full-time volunteer for the entire 25 years, never accepting a single penny in payment from the charity he built 🤯🙌. His selfless mission has transformed a small initial group training weekly in one place, into an international force, made up of hundreds of ARNI Instructors who deliver the specialist ARNI Approach to survivors every day. This unique method was formalised in 2007 when Tom created the National Stroke Rehab Course, a rigorous qualification he continues to refine and run twice a year to ensure trainers have the elite skills necessary to help survivors regain their independence 🎓⚡️.
Today, ARNI stands as a beacon of hope, proving that with the right evidence-based task-specific practice and a never-give-up attitude, functional recovery is always possible 🌈🦾. From those humble beginnings in a Lingfield gym to becoming a world-renowned authority on stroke rehab and exercise, the impact of Dr. Tom’s vision is immeasurable. We celebrate 25 years of strength, resilience, and community, and we can’t wait to see how many more lives are transformed in the years to come! 🥂✨
www.arni.uk.com
#ARNI25Years #StrokeRehab #DrTomBalchin #Neuroplasticity
Congratulations I have been helped massively by your trainers
So why is it two and a half years before I have heard of it. Why are hospitals and community physios not mentioning this charity?
Congratulations
Happy anniversary to an incredible charity 🍾
Happy 25th Anniversary Dr. Tom. Best wishes to you and your team, as you continue your admirable work for the future, a future that will inspire and give hope to so many stroke survivors.
Fantastic achievement! Well done ARNI and Dr Tom. 👏👏👏👏👏💪💪🏿
Congratulations to everyone involved in the ARNI stroke rehab xx
Congrats to Dr. Tom & ARNI!!
Congratulations Arni I don’t think I would be here today if i didn’t have an Arni to go to every week 🙏🏽
You can turn things around....
www.arni.uk.com
#arnistroke #neurorehabilitation #strokesurvivorscan #strokerehab #neuroplasticity #Neurorehab #strokeexercise #strokerecovery #arnistrokecharity #strokerehabilitation
Task-specific practice must not only tackle recovery milestones, such as grasping, releasing and so on, but minimise behaviours that can be introduced after stroke. It’s essentially quite simple: it’s doing the task you want to do. A lot. And making all efforts to improve. So, if you have significant spasticity in your upper limb, to retrain the ability to open a glasses case to get your specs, you practise opening up your glasses case. If you want to lift a cup and drink from it, you need to get a cup and practice lifting and drinking from it as accurately as possible, thousands of times. And attempt to improve progressively and consistently.
Call us to find out if there's an ARNI trainer who can help you on 0203 053 0111 or email support@arni.uk.com
#strokerecovery #strokerecoveryexercises #neuroplasticity #strokesurvivorscan #strokerehabilitation #neurorehab #strokeexercise #strokerehab #neurorehabilitation
Neuroplasticity is best activated through repetition. Meaning, when a skill is highly practiced, neuroplasticity strengthens the neural pathways for that skill. This is how you can work towards recovery during life after stroke. The more a skill is practiced, the higher the chances of strengthening neural connections for that skill and restoring function.
www.arni.uk.com
If you like this post then please share it with others. Each time that you share a post, you can directly help other people – as who knows which people in the world might find us and gain, either directly from the charity or simply by being able to copy an ‘innovative and useful’ move/trick of the trade that might help them manage after stroke.
Every time you share, you could directly help someone – as knowledge is power 😉
#neurorehabilitation #strokesurvivorscan #neurorehab #neuroplasticity #strokesurvivors #arnistrokecharity #strokeexercise
This is a sobering and critical update for stroke care in the UK as we start 2026: senior medical leaders, (including long-time friend of Dr Tom Balchin and ARNI, Professor David Werring), who is the past president of the British and Irish Association of Stroke Physicians (BIASP), have issued a stark warning that thousands of stroke survivors are facing avoidable death or severe, lifelong disability due to a critical shortage of specialists within the NHS.
The message is clear: the system is really struggling to provide the 'right expert at the right time' - meaning many patients are missing out on the immediate, high-stakes evaluations and treatments like thrombectomy or thrombolysis that are essential for saving brain tissue in those first few golden hours. 🧠⏳
The crisis stems from a lack of consultants and specialised nursing staff, which creates a bottleneck in emergency response and diagnostic accuracy. 📉💔 Professor Werring highlighted to the Guardian today that of course this isn't just about statistics; these are real people who could be walking and talking today if the correct specialist pathways were adequately staffed and accessible 24/7 across every region. Dr Tom notes that this disgraceful postcode lottery of care means that your chances of a full recovery currently depend far too heavily on which hospital you are taken to and which experts are on shift when you arrive. 🚑📍
This warning serves as a massive call to action for this government to prioritise the recruitment and retention of stroke specialists and not waste so much money on OTHER THINGS WHICH ARE LESS A CONCERN TO THE LONG-TERM BRITISH TAXPAYER - to prevent further unnecessary tragedy. 🤝📣
While technology like AI imaging and mobile stroke units are helping, they cannot replace the clinical judgment of a seasoned stroke physician. We must have a system where every patient receives the gold-standard care they deserve, ensuring that the journey after a stroke is defined by recovery and hope, rather than av#strokecrisis #NHSStaffingi#strokeawareness2026k#HealthEquality##saveourbrains #SaveOurBrains
Ambulance arrived hour and a half after first call was made and 3 subsequent calls. I was taken to first hospital and my brain was still bleeding when I was being transported to a different hospital. It took over 5 hours for my treatment. I now face life long disability. It’s completely unacceptable.
So true here in Ontario, Canada
💯 % agree ❤️
From NICEimpact stroke: The UK performs mechanical thrombectomies (MT) at lower rates than many other high-income developed countries, estimated at around 1–2 per 100,000 population annually based on recent audit data.
If that is the case i.e. re thrombectomy , why have i survived with limited cognative issues and no physical issues , while having the clot insitu for 16+ hours as up in the air on a long haul flight from Dubai to Melbourne. ?!?! NB ,I was only the 5th person the said expert had done the operation on ...... following the trial of said clot retreval / thrombectomy operation . ?!?!. All of this happened in Australia 14 years ago . !!! How bloody lucky am i ? Cos i'd of been dead in the UK ! I was told by them !!!
Yep I was sent away from a&e told it was a migraine!!! Due to location of stroke it would only show on mri and also presents as BEFAST not FAST which many medical teams dismiss!!
I agree. We used to see the adverts for Stroke on TV - act FAST! we rang 999 immediately and it took nearly 3 hours to get to a hospital 20 miles away. 3 weeks in hospital with no physio, sent to nearby Stroke Rehab unit where we were told my husband would get intensive physio etc. staff shortages meant there was no physio for nearly 3 months and the gym was closed. Such opportunities were missed and we are still upset about this over a year later.
Here here , I am on my own had a stroke & it was like talking to myself . After 4 weeks in rehab which involved sitting in a chair all day , except when I walked up & down the corridor ( not every day ). I was taken to a kitchen to make sure I could get something to eat. Climbed up & down stairs I was sent home . Alone , no one to make sure I was ok. etc . Everything I have done myself , go to a multi gym 3 times a week , zoom yoga once a week , trike ride once a week weather permitting, stroke club once a week !!! I wasn’t given any contacts , places to go or anything !!!! It is a postcode lottery !!!!
My son (one of many unemployed doctors in the UK) is willing to be trained as a specialist.
A&E doctors at rake lane. North Tyneside. Misdiagnosed a ct scan. Missed the bleed on the scan. No mri scan until the patient asked for one. No pathway followed. Doctors treated symptoms as a migraine. Oxygen paracetamol. Patient was not sedated to fully scan brain as patient could not tolerate MRI. Several pictures were taken which proved a pca stroke. No thrombosis or mechanical. Retrievement, balloon stent. Just a set of doctors who didn’t have a clue. Then the patient went on to have a right frontal brain haemorrhage.
I am a advertisement for this. Doctors need to follow pathways. The incorrect diagnosis murders patients or disables them for life
Second stroke, whilst entering A&E I said give me 300 mg Aspirin. It saved me last time. I was told I had a migraine. 3 days later a stroke nurse saw me on a normal ward and then they jumped into action. Too late. Damage done.😔
I had a stroke in June at six in the morning, thanks to the wife’s I was blue lighted to whiston hospital received thrombolysis and a head scan was then blue lighted to Walton hospital where a team where waiting and had a thrombectomy. I was then taken back to whiston , this was a Wednesday that afternoon I couldn’t talk, use my right arm or leg. On the Friday could talk,walk and use my arm and was discharged. I’m still not 100% but a lot better than it could have been, the follow up was brilliant I couldn’t fault it. So yes this needs to be available everywhere all the time
I was misdiagnosed with MS and put on the wrong ward where I had a second stroke. This was despite a brain scan. Now part disabled.
It's going on for years, and you "suddenly" make a statement........ Ok then
Tracy Snelling
Mechanical thrombectomy is a post code lottery .I live in York and you would be sent to Hull an hour away and it only operates week days 9-5 . NICE guidelines 3 hours a day . You’d be lucky to get that weekly .
Not just for strokes, but any neurological condition. My husbands encephalitis was misdiagnosed and he now has an ABI from significant brain swelling. Neuro care in this country is shocking
Simply not good enough..... Ambulance wasted 10-15mins in my home - that could have meant less disability for me. They were also using FAST....they also were considering calling another ambulance because they felt they couldn't wheel me out down a path. I'm so glad my husband was there advocating and backing me up because I knew it was serious and *I* said stroke first. Without my husband I'd be dead. I complained to SAS to be told their "call duration" was within "acceptable" and "normal" time scale..... This is terrifying even more so reading this article. What is it? Is stroke not sexy enough a field to specialise in? Is it too difficult to learn? Everything about stroke needs overhauled. Everyone keeps using FAST when without examining the other symptoms and determining them as yes it is vertigo or no it is a stroke means they'll never hone that accuracy of diagnosis. I'm not saying BEFAST is the complete answer however I ALWAYS share the so called non common symptoms. Ultimately if stroke diagnosis and care comes down to AI - maybe we will have a better chance than with human involvement. Sorry for a rant but I'm very angry at this. NHS need to spend smarter - chucking money at something broken doesn't work. My life was saved because I advocated while I could and didn't sit back (I couldn't lol!!!) and accept it was a panic attack but many others would. My husband's intervention by helping to get me out of the house and into the ambulance and the consultant on duty.
Shocking
I was left sitting in A+E for 6 hours while my stroke symptoms got worse. Husband took me as 8 hour wait for ambulance. Was seen to late for thrombosis treatment Aftercare shocking. Disabled at 52. Gone is a life i loved to one in can't wait to be over
So true I was in a&e with all the poster symptoms of a stroke did a ct which showed no bleed on the brain with in 2 hours but it took 17 hours for them to decide we need to do differnt types of scan to find out I had a ischemic stroke meaning I could have had the clot buster and potentially less disabled than I am now had they looked earlier their apology was sorry as your 32 we decided it was unlikely so didn’t scan sooner I’m sorry but this isn’t good enough nhs is understaffed and under specialised for instance my report says I walked in to a&e nope I was stretchered in by an ambulance completely paralysed on one side unable to do any thing at all
I had to take myself to a&e.two hr wait for ambulance .Went in a 6.30 pm Saturday.Had CT at 10.30pm.Told I hadn’t had a stroke.Has F.A.S.T symptoms. Finally got a bed at 5.30p on the Sunday. 😡😡😡
Stroke and bleed missed by local hospital as I was too young to have a stroke. Was labelled as mentally ill and refused care, after care and rehab. Neurological care in this country is terrible.
The thrombectomys can only be done in the counties major a@ e departments as they need the correct machinery available per 24 hrs and the correct level of expertise / human to be able to do the proceedure + i.e. training !! An ordinary a@ e dept. Could / should NOT be expected to do this !!!! That was why small a@ e's were shut down years back to lessen the pressures on small units . !!! The NHS can not afford ( the money is not there) to have this high level of care , its the same as some cancers can be saved and others cant. !!!!?