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Stroke Rehabilitation Exercise

There are more 700,000 people in the United States who suffer a stroke each year, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Close to two-thirds survive and need to undergo rehabilitation. The goal is to improve their quality of life and get them as independent as possible. An exercise rehabilitation program is typically started while a stroke patient is still in the hospital to get stroke-impaired limbs moving again.

  1. Independent Movement

    • As soon as patients start recovering from a stroke, they should try to move independently and use the muscles that are now seriously weakened. Therapists encourage them to change positions in bed and to begin a series of passive or active range-of-motion exercises. These are designed to strengthen their limbs. Passive exercises involve the therapist helping the patient move a limb repeatedly, and active exercises are done by the patient without help from the therapist. As soon as they're able, patients begin to sit up, move from the bed to a standing position and walk with or without help. During rehabilitation, the tasks become more demanding, with an emphasis on using stroke-impaired limbs for a variety of activities such as dressing and bathing.

    Constraint-Induced Therapy

    • Constraint-induced therapy is also called "forced-use" therapy. It involves restricting the use of a healthy limb while the patient practices moving the stroke-impaired limb. The therapist puts the patient's arm in a sling, for example, and forces him to use the other arm extensively for a period of two weeks. Many times, stroke patients try to use the affected limbs, then get discouraged when they have difficulty. Thus, they stop using the limb altogether. In order to use constraint-induced therapy, survivors must be able to move their arms and fingers and extend their wrists.

    Range of Motion Therapy

    • Range of motion therapy uses exercises to lessen muscle spasticity, increase strength and regain range of motion. Before beginning therapy, a physical therapist may use an instrument called a goniometer to evaluate the patient's range of motion. It measures the largest angle a joint can move through. By stabilizing muscles, the therapist must move the affected joints just past the point of pain to increase the range of motion. It's common for the therapist to work with family members and caregivers too, to get them involved with an exercise program that builds and maintains muscle strength.

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