What is a stroke?

A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function(s) due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia (lack of blood supply) caused by thrombosis or embolism or due to a hemorrhage. As a result, the affected area of the brain is unable to function, leading to inability to move one or more limbs on one side of the body, inability to understand or formulate speech or inability to see one side of the visual field.

Symptoms of a stroke

After a stroke signals from the brain often cannot reach some muscles. Without these signals, the level of electrical activity in these muscles is too low for them to contract adequately on their own. This causes them to become increasingly weaker.

The common symptoms are: physical problems in one side of the body (numbness, weakness), drooping in one side of the face, speech problems (slurred speech, muddled words) and visual problems (blurred vision, loss of vision).

Other symptoms can include: bladder and bowel problems, swallowing difficulties, pain, dizziness and balance problems, memory problems, a loss of awareness of one side of the body (neglect) and fatigue.

Treatment of a stroke

Initially you may need some medication and medical management following your stroke. However, it is important to begin your stroke rehabilitation as soon as possible. Neurocare offer a variety of treatment methods including hands on physiotherapy and functional electrical stimulation (FES).

Following a detailed assessment, your physiotherapist will set specific goals with you and plan a programme of treatment which may involve: hands on treatment and stretches, specific exercises, suggestions of equipment or aids, practical problem solving and advice to improve day-to-day situations. Treatment is likely to focus on improving, movement, balance, walking and everyday functional tasks.

How can Neurocare Physiotherapy help me?

At Neurocare, we are all highly specialised in treating neurological conditions, so you can be confident that your physiotherapist will have the necessary experience to provide you with the specialist level of treatment which you deserve.