Walking independently after a stroke is one of the major goals in post stroke rehabilitation. Your gait is your specific pattern of walking that occurs in several phases that require specific patterns of muscle activation that allow the joints of the lower limbs to move smoothly and synchronously in coordination.
Regaining mobility after a stroke is often one of the largest and most critical challenges during rehabilitation. The independence to walk on your own not only leads to a higher quality of life, but also increases the body's chances for a greater range of recuperation.
The guidelines recommend that stroke survivors engage in 20 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise such as walking three to seven days per week. The exercise can be done in 10-minute intervals with the goal being at least 20 minutes per day.
Cardiovascular exercise can also improve the sensory perception and motor skills of stroke survivors. Walking outside or on a treadmill, stationary cycling, recumbent cross training and many other forms of exercise that get your heart pumping are extremely beneficial for stroke recovery.
Recovery time after a stroke is different for everyone—it can take weeks, months, or even years. Some people recover fully, but others have long-term or lifelong disabilities.
As with muscle weakness, changes in muscle tone happen when the area of your brain that controls your muscles is damaged. Spasticity affects up to a third of stroke survivors. It always occurs on the weaker side of your body and may make it difficult to move your limbs.
The initial recovery following stroke is most likely due to decreased swelling of brain tissue, removal of toxins from the brain, and improvement in the circulation of blood in the brain. Cells damaged, but not beyond repair, will begin to heal and function more normally.
No two strokes are the same. Some people may feel more like themselves within just a few days, without any lasting physical or cognitive issues. But for others, it may take several months to heal or adjust to any long-term effects.
“The first three months after a stroke are the most important for recovery and when patients will see the most improvement,” says Raghavan. During this time, most patients will enter and complete an inpatient rehabilitation program, or make progress in their outpatient therapy sessions.
While exercise is necessary for good health and recovery after stroke, it's important for patients to avoid overexercising. Pushing the body too hard can potentially result in regression or exacerbate conditions like post-stroke fatigue.
The most rapid recovery usually occurs during the first three to four months after a stroke, but some survivors continue to recover well into the first and second year after their stroke. Some signs point to physical therapy.
Some people who've had a stroke will have some trouble with walking and getting around. Strokes can damage parts of your brain that coordinate your movements. Brain signals get scrambled, and your mind and muscles may not work together very well.
The Role of Sleep in Stroke Recovery
Quality sleep has many benefits, especially for stroke survivors. Getting a good night's sleep supports neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to restructure and create new neural connections in healthy parts of the brain, allowing stroke survivors to re-learn movements and functions.
Give yourself plenty of time to recover from your stroke. It can take many months before post-stroke fatigue starts to lift. Accepting that it takes time to improve can help you to cope better. Find out how much you can do in a day and stick to it.
Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke.
Most cognitive functions will return with time and rehabilitation, but you may find they do not return to the way they were before. The damage a stroke causes to your brain also increases the risk of developing vascular dementia. This may happen immediately after a stroke or it may develop some time later.
The best way to stimulate the brain and activate the neuroplastic response is through repetitive motion. Heavy repetition of certain movements or activities will retrain the brain and force it to create new neural connections and pathways.
The muscle-relaxing effects usually last for about three months and you should not notice any changes in sensation in your muscles. You should have physiotherapy alongside treatment with botulinum toxin type A.
In the early weeks and months after a stroke your body is healing and the rehabilitation process takes up a lot of energy so it is very common to feel tired.
Regarding the duration of fatigue after stroke, acute fatigue can last up to 6 months, whereas the chronic type can persist in 40% of patients after 2 years. Another study reported fatigue to be still present in one-third of patients up to 6 years after stroke onset.