Rehabilitation after a stroke at home

A stroke is a dangerous disease that disrupts blood circulation in the brain, leading to irreversible consequences. Often, after a stroke, the patient becomes disabled or may even simply die. To prevent this, he needs to engage in rehabilitation. About how rehabilitation after a stroke takes place at home, what it includes, and how much the patient needs to do it, we will tell further.

Rehabilitation after a stroke is a set of measures that help the patient restore all the functions he has lost.

Initially, the stroke patient is rehabilitated in a medical facility. He doesn't need to pay for it. All procedures are carried out according to the CHI pole. The patient is then discharged home. Here it is important that his relatives are engaged in his rehabilitation.

In this case, the patient is prescribed:

• medicinal products. They are aimed at stimulating neurogenesis;
• physical exercise. He needs to attend exercise therapy classes, engage in kinesiotherapy;
• physiotherapy;
• sessions with a professional psychologist. It will help normalize the work of higher cortical functions;
• sessions with a speech therapist. The specialist will help the patient to restore speech, swallowing functions;
• sessions with an ergotherapist. Such a specialist will teach the patient to use cutlery again, to conduct personal hygiene.

In addition, the activities carried out depend on the stage of rehabilitation. Eg:

1. The early rehabilitation period takes place mainly in the hospital. This period lasts from the moment when the patient applied to a medical institution. Usually, the early period of rehabilitation takes place in the intensive care unit.

In this case, the patient is prescribed:

• taking medications;
• passive and active gymnastics;
• physiotherapy to help adapt his body to walking upright, reducing the risk of pressure ulcers;
• classes with a speech therapist, psychologist.

1. Rehabilitation in the first six months. It is called the early recovery period. During this period, the patient can walk, engage in kinesiotherapy. But physical activity can only be done while maintaining self-care skills. At the same time, the patient again learns to write, read, use cutlery. In addition, he can work with a psychologist, a speech therapist.
2. rehabilitation in the next six months. This period is called late recovery. During this period, the patient continues to develop his physical abilities, fine motor skills, gain muscle mass, and develop speech functions. During this period, it is relatives who help the patient adapt to a new life. In this case, the patient should visit a neurologist, speech therapist, psychologist, and engage in kinesiotherapy.

In general, a stroke, and the process of treating a patient after a stroke at home, should be supervised by a specialist.

What medications are prescribed to the patient

Initially, the patient is assigned:

• antiplatelet agents;
• anticoagulants.

They prevent platelets from sticking together, reduce the risk of blood clots in the vessels.

Usually the patient is prescribed:

• "Aspirin".
• "Clopidogrel".

With a cardioembolic stroke, the patient is prescribed:

• "Warfarin".
• "Prodaxa".
• "Eliquis".
• "Xarelto".

Additionally, the patient is prescribed neuroprotectors that improve neurogenesis.

In this case, he is assigned:

• Solcoseryl.
• "Ceraxon".
• "Vazobral".
• Vinpocetine.
• "Nootropil".
• "Pikamilon".
• "Encephabol".
• "Actovegin".

In addition, the patient may be prescribed:

• muscle relaxants. These are: "Sirdalud", "Mydocalm";
• antidepressants. These are: "Fluoxetine", "Sertraline", "Escitalopram";
• statins. These are: "Atorvostatin";  
• antihypertensive drugs. These are: Enalopril, Concor, Micardis.

Remember: only the attending physician can prescribe medications and answer the question of how to recover from a stroke at home.

Features of nutrition of patients after a stroke

It is very important for a person who has experienced this disease to eat right. Usually it is very difficult for such people to chew, swallow food, so their food is as light as possible. At first, such patients are fed through a nasogastric tube.

Remember: it is advisable to carry out such nutrition only under the supervision of a doctor. There is a high risk of food entering the respiratory tract. Also, relatives can feed the patient with a spoon, but at the same time it needs to be slightly raised. And it is recommended to drink it with a small spoon. And it is important to monitor how he swallows water.

In general, experts recommend adhering to the following simple rules.

The patient must:

• replace animal fats with vegetable ones;
• every day eat lean meat, fish, but not more than 150 grams;
• everyone has cottage cheese, dairy products;
• give up white bread, pastries, sweets;
• eat more vegetable soups, bread, cereals, vegetables, fruits, but not more than 400 grams;
• completely abandon salt;
• drink at least 2 liters of water per day, but only if the patient has no problems with the kidneys, heart.

Remember: in the first 2 months you can not arrange fasting days for yourself. And if the patient suffers from diabetes, then he needs to follow a special diet. Only an endocrinologist can compile it.

What gymnastic exercises can the patient do

During rehabilitation after a stroke at home, it is important to restore all the functions lost by the patient. And gymnastics can help him with this.

And also gymnastic exercises:

• restore motor activity in both arms and legs;
• relieve tension from the muscles;
• reduce the risk of developing contractures, especially in the joints;
• improve blood circulation;
• reduce the risk of bed sores.

Remember: at first, the patient performs gymnastic exercises together with the rehabilitation specialist. Only a doctor will be able to choose a complex that suits this particular patient. At home, the patient can perform the complex under the supervision of his relatives. At first, he can do simple exercises. And then he can move on to complex complexes. The complex should be performed from 15 to 40 minutes.

Remember: the patient should not be overloaded. To warm up the muscles, water procedures and light massage are used.

Approximately the set of classes looks like this. Patient's relatives:

1. They try to bend, straighten his hand, fingers, knees, elbows, forearm and pelvic joints.
2. Easily rotate all joints of the patient clockwise.
3. Stretch his arms. You can even stretch the patient's arm, tie it to a flat board. Remove the board after 30 minutes.
4. Hang a towel over the patient's bed, an elastic bandage. And then they pull the patient's hand to him. The latter should rotate, twist the arm, bend it in different directions.
5. Place a soft cushion under the patient's kneecap. Gradually, its thickness can be increased. This exercise is great for relieving cramps in the legs.

Additionally, during rehabilitation after an ischemic stroke, the patient should perform various eye exercises at home.

For example, he can:

• rotate eyeballs in different directions;
• raise your eyes up, lower them down.

These complexes are performed with closed, open eyes.

In addition, the patient can perform exercises from a sitting position. He can:

1. Sit down, grab the edge of the bed with your hands, bend your knees slightly. Then he takes a breath, arches, pulls himself up to the headboard, and as he exhales, he relaxes. The complex is performed 10 times.
2. Lean against the back of the bed, stretch your legs forward. And then he needs to raise his legs one by one.
3. Sit down, take your hands back, inhale the air, bring the shoulder blades closer to each other. In this case, the head should be thrown back. On exhalation, the patient can relax.

Remember: if the patient has already partially recovered, then he can perform complexes from a standing position.

Relatives can put a small object on the floor, and the patient needs to pick it up. He can also swing his arms, clench his hands into a fist.

In addition, he can:

• make tilts to the sides;
• stand on tiptoe, stretch your arms up;
• perform the exercise "Scissors";
• squat.

With the permission of the doctor, the patient can perform exercises with light dumbbells.

Is it possible for the patient to exercise

To achieve a quick effect, the patient can be engaged in medical simulators. Such classes:

• improve motor activity in the arms and legs;
• increase blood flow to the lower extremities;
• saturate the blood with oxygen;
• reduce the risk of recurrence of a stroke.

The patient can engage in simulators called:

• "Seat". It is aimed at lifting a chair.
• "Area". Such a simulator teaches the patient to walk.

Additionally, the patient can engage in simulators:

• aimed at the muscles of the arms, legs;
• imitating walking.
• simulating a bed.

At home, the patient can exercise on an exercise bike. An expander helps to develop hands. It is especially useful for the hands.

In the later stages of rehabilitation after a stroke at home, the patient can go to a special fitness club. But he can only do it under the supervision of a specialist.

How massage affects the recovery process

Massage can be done to people after a stroke. But only in the later stages of rehabilitation. Carrying it out at an early stage of rehabilitation will lead to the appearance of spasticity. Moreover, the massage is carried out with light, rubbing movements.

But with strong muscle tightness, you can use pressure, rotation, light pinching. Massage is carried out for 10 minutes, daily.

How physiotherapy helps to recover

Physiotherapy also speeds up the recovery process at home after a stroke. He can go for electrical stimulation, do passive gymnastics.

Such exercises:

• improve muscle trophism, fiber contractility;
• accelerate the process of recovery of the patient after ischemic stroke at home;
• tone the whole body of the patient.

Physiotherapy is recommended for bedridden patients who cannot fully develop all the muscles.

Additionally, the patient may be prescribed electrophoresis using Magnesia, Eufillin.

Such procedures:

• improve the flow of active substances to damaged tissues;
• bring the muscles into working condition.

Usually electrophoresis is used on the head, collar part of the back. Such procedures improve the activity of brain cells.

And the patient can walk on:

• paraffin baths;
• procedures with ozocerite;
• laser treatment;
• magnetotherapy;
• microcurrents;
• UHF.

Moreover, if the patient is tormented by severe pain, then he needs to go to magnetotherapy. It improves blood circulation throughout the body, relieves pain.

Laser therapy helps to speed up the process of tissue regeneration. And if a patient after a stroke treats at home with heat, then he not only warms up the limb, but also distracts himself from bad thoughts, relieves muscle spasms.

How folk remedies speed up the rehabilitation process

Some patients note that folk remedies also help to recover from a stroke.

Helps a lot:

• Pulp, lemon and orange peel. They need to be mixed, add 4 tablespoons of honey to them. The resulting composition is used inside. Drink it 2 tablespoons, 2 times a day. The composition is stored in the refrigerator. It has a great effect on blood vessels.
• Garlic. 2 heads of garlic must be chopped, mixed with the same amount of honey, 100 ml of aloe juice. The composition is taken 1 teaspoon, in the morning and evening. It has a great effect on blood vessels.
• Green cones. 100 grams of cones need to be crushed, pour 200 grams of vodka. The resulting composition must be put in a dark place for 7 days. The finished mixture should be rubbed into the muscles. This composition reduces the risk of atrophy, bedsores.

Garlic also helps restore speech function. It needs to be kept in the mouth for a while. But this can only be done under the supervision of relatives.

Stages of restoration of speech functions, vision

The most important thing during rehabilitation is to restore the patient's speech functions. Moreover, the patient needs to treat a stroke at home, restore speech function in the first days after a stroke.

Relatives should constantly talk with the patient. He must constantly hear his native speech, get used to it.

At first he can pronounce sounds, syllables. Then he can move on to simple words. In addition, he can go to music classes. Singing perfectly restores speech.

And he also needs to do the following simple exercises. He can:

• roll your tongue, lips into a tube;
• show teeth;
• stick your tongue out.

Additionally, the patient needs to train memory. He can learn a poem, remember something from his past. In his free time, he can solve crosswords, scanwords, memorize light texts.

And the patient may lose not only speech, but his vision may also drop sharply.

You can restore it with:

• medicines. They are used in tablets, injections, drops;
• classes on special ophthalmic simulators;
• visual gymnastics;
• surgical operation.

Exercises that mimic coughing, swallowing, and yawning help improve swallowing function. And the patient can also gargle with water, puff out his cheeks, do exercises with pronouncing the sound “and”.

Can relatives alleviate the suffering of the patient

Of course, relatives can do it.

They have to:

• put foreign objects, things of the patient in the closet. If the patient walks, then these objects will greatly interfere with him on the floor;  
• attach special handrails to the bathroom. Thanks to this, the patient can safely be in the bathroom;  
• purchase a wheelchair for the patient. With its help, the patient can move around the apartment, walk along the street;  
• buy a table for the patient to carry food. So he will eat in a comfortable environment for himself.

At home, the patient can read, watch TV, try to retell the news. Quarrels and scandals in the family should not be. If relatives have money, they can hire a sick nurse, invite a speech therapist, psychologist to their home.

The patient's room should always be cool, so in the warm season it is better not to close the windows. And relatives should carefully monitor that the patient takes all the medications prescribed by the doctor.

How long does it take to recover

Doctors note that rehabilitation at home after an ischemic stroke is faster than after a hemorrhagic stroke.

In general, the timing of rehabilitation at home for a patient after a stroke depends on the following factors. From:

• the size of the brain lesion;
• zones of localization of the damaged area;
• patient's age;
• medical procedures carried out by the patient;
• the time during which the patient received first aid;
• beginning of the rehabilitation period.

And the period of rehabilitation after a stroke at home depends on the severity of the disease that has arisen in the patient:

And after a stroke, the patient may experience neurogenesis. This happens when the functions of dead cells are taken over by healthy cells. The patient's brain is very plastic, the number of neurons in it increases rapidly, neural networks quickly rebuild, form new synapses. But this phenomenon is not typical for every patient.

To summarize: rehabilitation after a stroke is important for every patient. Only thanks to her can his functions be fully restored.