In a stroke, the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off.There are two types of stroke: ischemic – when a clot blocks the artery in your brain; and hemorrhagic – when the artery pops and the blood damages the cells in the brain.
Symptoms come almost immediately, which can be very frightening for the patient and those around them. Without a supply of blood, your brain cells don’t get enough food and oxygen. The symptoms you get depend on which part of your brain is affected and also if the lack of blood supply is temporary (Transient Ischaemic Attack) or permanent (Cerebro VascularAccident).
In the time when blood supply is cut off, you may experience following symptoms: head ache, nausea, dizziness, confusion, inability to speak, general weakness with paralysis of one part of your body and you may feel very sleepy.
Also people around you may notice that your face sweats, your face expression is asymmetrical.
It is very important that A&E is called immediately and you receive help straight away.
After the accident there are two phases seen with patients which differ in symptoms and according to them the approach.
Acute phase – lasts a few weeks depending on the type of stroke. In this phase, one side of the victims body is weak or completely flaccid. The person has no sensation in this side apart from pain. the weakness and other symptoms may spread to less affected side as the brain tissue is still swollen. It is important that the blood pressure is being monitored, and the patient is repositioned properly to both sides and back. Proper repositioning will increase sensation and has got great influence on developing neglect syndrome in later phase.
The therapist will focus on body mapping using external stimulus as well as proprioceptive stimulus.
Chronic phase – starts whet the tonus on direct affected side is rising and is noticeable. It is very important to start physiotherapy as soon as this happens. Regeneration process happens thanks to the so called plasticity of nervous system. This is the power of the nervous tissue to create more and more new connections between cells.
The spontaneous regeneration process without physiotherapy will create too many connections with different, not related to the function cells and as an effect it will create spasticity in direct affected side and pathological movement patterns.
Spontaneous regeneration affects your movement as well as balance activity. It happens not only on direct affected side but less affected side as well because the swell of the brain tissue in the acute phase damages both hemispheres.
The quicker the therapy starts the more function you will gain and the less pain you will suffer in the future that may come from mal-alignment of the joints.
It is very important that all the family and carers are involved in the therapy as it speeds up recovery process.
