There is a question about rehabilitation after a stroke, as a stroke is one of the most serious medical conditions, as it may lead to many serious complications, including exposure to paralysis and loss of the ability to speak, but we can hear stories that give hope and optimism through the experiences of recovery and return to normal life after suffering that stroke, so we learn about some of these stories and the treatment, symptoms, and methods that help in physical therapy after that. 

Stroke recovery stories 

In the context of talking about rehabilitation after a stroke, some people are exposed to the risk of a stroke, and among them is the story of Ahmed Al-Amari from the city of Yarmouk. We find that Ahmed is a man in his fifties from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who suffered a severe stroke that led to paralysis on the left side of his body. 

After rapid medical intervention and rehabilitation, Ahmed was able to regain a large part of his motor functions, and Ahmed continued to use Physical therapy With daily physical exercises to improve his strength and flexibility, and working with specialized therapists to improve his ability to speak naturally.

As for Sami Gad from Egypt, he is a young man in his thirties who suffered a stroke while exercising. With rehabilitation after the stroke and great support from his family and friends, in addition to physical and psychological treatment, Sami was able to recover significantly. 

Sami relied on comprehensive rehabilitation treatment, which included physical therapy, occupational therapy and psychological therapy, and this enabled him to return to his normal life and practice sports again.

Does speech return after a stroke? 

The treatment helps restore the ability to speak properly, and the treatment works to get rid of speech and pronunciation defects, as you can train to restore speech correctly after a stroke. This is done through rehabilitation after a stroke and by subjecting the patient to exercises and techniques that vary according to the different symptoms. 

If the pronunciation is unclear, the muscles of the tongue and lips are trained along with breathing and voice, but we find that the recovery time after that stroke and the disappearance of stroke symptoms varies from one person to another, as it takes weeks and may extend to months and even years in some cases for the patient to recover completely. 

Read also: When is a stroke fatal?

Post-stroke symptoms 

A brain stroke leads to severe damage to brain cells and their death, and this affects many functions of the mind, and this effect is long-term, as there are complications and effects after a stroke that quickly require rehabilitation after a stroke. The most important of these complications are the following:

• Weak motor abilities: 

Weakness and sagging occur in the muscles, especially on one side of the body. This causes problems with body movement and balance. They also suffer from pain and spasm in the muscles of their body, because the symptoms are more severe in both the arms and hands compared to the legs and feet. 

In addition, the patient may also suffer from a loss of muscle mass after a stroke, if his muscle weakness continues for a long period of time. 

• Poor ability to communicate with others: 

It leads to a weakness in the ability to communicate with others, an inability to express and speak, and difficulty in speech and pronunciation. The person then needs rapid rehabilitation after a stroke. 

This occurs due to weakness in the muscles that play a role in speech, as well as a weakness in the nervous communication between the brain and the mouth. In addition, there may be problems in reading and writing, and this is a result of weakness in the hand, with a lack of ability to think or see. 

• Weak mental and physical abilities: 

The patient has difficulty learning any new skill, with weakness observed in his ability to plan and solve problems, weakness in memory, weakness in the ability to pay attention and concentration, and a decrease in temporal and spatial awareness.

In addition, a person may need rehabilitation after a stroke due to the inability to perform some activities, including dressing or making a cup of tea, and the presence of cognitive impairment, or from not feeling pain, heat, cold, or touch on the side that was affected by the stroke. 

All this is in addition to a weakness in recognizing shapes around him, an inability to estimate distance, and a great difficulty in reading or watching television. 

• Psychological problems: 

These include anxiety and fear, depression and frustration, excessive nervousness and agitation, and an increase in aggression and impulsivity, as well as a state of indifference and saying and doing socially inappropriate things.

Book your consultation now at Neurological Injuries and Stroke Rehabilitation Center At Al Mousa Specialist Hospital.

Treatment of stroke on the left side

It is important to treat a stroke immediately to help deliver oxygen to the brain tissue to prevent its death and side effects that affect the patient for life. The best and quickest solution for treating a stroke is rehabilitation after the stroke and to take a solvent for that clot through the vein within 4 and a half hours from the beginning of its appearance, as this may enable him to recover within a short period. 

You can treat a stroke on the left side after a period of four and a half hours by taking fluid medications to stop the growth of the clot. The doctor is keen to provide a prescription for the appropriate medications to treat high blood pressure and diabetes, and thus the chances of developing new strokes will be reduced. 

The doctor encourages the treatment of stroke on the left side, as well as rehabilitation after a stroke, by performing vascular surgery. This is a minimally invasive procedure that does not require general anesthesia. Its steps are as follows:

• Make a small incision in the patient's thigh to allow the catheter to be inserted through a blood vessel.
• Moving the catheter until it reaches the site of the clot in the brain.
• Inflating the balloon at the end of the catheter to widen the narrowed artery, and installing a stent to keep it open.
• Angiography, to ensure that blood flow has returned through the arteries of the brain.

Signs of recovery from a stroke

There are some of the most common and visible signs that indicate recovery from a stroke, especially after post-stroke rehabilitation, which are as follows:

• Rapid progress in recovery occurs in the first three months, then progress begins to slow or plateau.
• Increasing independence through activities of daily living is a good sign of recovery after a stroke.

• The early ability to place the leg on the leg, which occurs about 15 days after the stroke. This is one of the signs of recovery from the stroke, and movement in the extremities. 

• Excessive sleepiness after a stroke is common. This may be a sign of recovery, as the brain works hard and needs rest to recover from that stroke. 

• Using compensation techniques, including using a walker or cane for movement, and cooking with one hand is a way to recover from a stroke.
• Muscle twitching can be a sign of recovery from a stroke, as it indicates an improvement in muscle spasm.
• Spasticity is a post-stroke condition in which there is stiffness and tightness in the muscles, because the brain was unable to communicate properly with the affected muscles due to damage from the stroke. 

Duration of physical therapy after stroke 

The period that a patient needs to rehabilitate after a stroke, with other complications resulting from it, may sometimes be quick. Some stroke survivors may recover quickly, and there are others who may need a long-term rehabilitation period, as the rehabilitation period may last for a few months or years after they recover from the stroke.

Read also: كم تستمر أعراض السكتة الدماغية؟

Does a person return to normal after a stroke?

Yes, a stroke patient recovers as quickly as possible with appropriate treatment, and this is through adherence to the rehabilitation programs that doctors set for him. One of the signs of the patient’s success in recovery is the rapid noticeable improvement in the first three months, even if the improvement occurs after that. 

Rehabilitation after a stroke?

Rehabilitation is an essential part of the recovery process. Rehabilitation programs include physical therapy, occupational therapy, language therapy, and psychotherapy. These programs work to help patients regain their motor functions, as well as their linguistic abilities, in addition to improving their psychological health.

Post-stroke rehabilitation center? 

The post-stroke rehabilitation program is a program that includes different treatments designed to help you re-acquire lost skills after a stroke. The methods used for rehabilitation differ according to the types of parts of the brain affected by the stroke, as rehabilitation helps improve movement, speech, strength, and daily living skills to improve your daily life. 

When does physical therapy start after a stroke?

The beginning of physical therapy shall be after the patient’s condition has stabilized from a medical standpoint, as beginning physical therapy early increases the chance of regaining lost abilities and skills, as physical therapy sessions begin approximately 24 to 42 hours after the stroke occurs. 

Thus, we have learned all the details about rehabilitation after a stroke through Al Mousa Hospital, which is among the largest and most important hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Medical references 

Stroke rehabilitation – mayoclinic