Hand recovery after a stroke

Stroke is one of the serious diseases that can have negative consequences for the body for a person. Among them, one can note the partial or almost complete absence of motor functions, as a result of which a person may not be able to do without outside help.

What is the danger of a stroke

A stroke is a disease that occurs as a result of a violation of cerebral circulation, and the cause of this can be:

• hypertensive diseases;
• thrombophlebitis;
• cardiac arrhythmia;
• aneurysms of cerebral vessels;
• diabetes;
• obesity.

As for the consequences, approximately 70-80% of people survive after a stroke, but 40% of them cannot do without the help of outsiders. The thing is that the consequences can be:

• partial or complete paralysis of the human body or a separate part of it (arms);
• memory loss may be complete or partial;
• impaired vision, speech, hearing.

It should also be noted that a person can also be impaired and other vital functions of the body. As for the paralysis of the upper limb, it may become numb as a result of the onset of an attack that did not occur very close to the right hemisphere of the brain. For example, with the onset of a hemorrhagic attack, a person, in addition to numbness of the arm, may also have other symptoms. It can be breathing problems, convulsions, hyperesthesia, and even vomiting.

If you do not resort to urgent treatment, then the consequences that appear after a stroke can cause pathological processes that can lead to death. To avoid the possibility of remaining disabled for life, it is necessary to take advantage of effective treatment and rehabilitation procedures as soon as possible.

What is included in the rehabilitation process

Quite often, the consequences after a stroke are considered to be a violation of the motor functions of the right or left hand. Since there is an inflammatory process in the right hemisphere of the brain or cerebellum, which are responsible for the motor processes in the body. As a result of an ischemic stroke or cerebral hemorrhage, partial or complete paralysis may occur. They are divided into two types:

• peripheral - when individual nerve fibers are disturbed;
• central - as a result of pathological processes, the entire nervous system can be completely disrupted.

In order to be able to restore a hand after a stroke, it is imperative to undergo a full course of drug treatment, as well as rehabilitation procedures. In addition, special gymnastic exercises should also be present in the complex. In order to restore the motor functions of a paralyzed hand, it is initially necessary to undergo a diagnosis and an appropriate course of treatment. After that, based on the results, the doctor prescribes mandatory procedures that can be performed at home. For example, the complex may include gymnastics for the hand after a stroke, exercises on special simulators, as well as a visit to the pool. In addition, electrical impulses and acupuncture can be used. All the indicated procedures are aimed at restoring hand movement after a stroke, since the greatest difficulty arises precisely in the development of fine motor skills. Sometimes it can take at least 6 months for a person who has had a stroke to restore the motor function of the upper limb, and sometimes the whole process can drag on for a whole year.

Methods for restoring a paralyzed hand

To increase the sensitivity of the hand and restore strength and tone to it, you must definitely follow the recommendations of the attending physician. That is, it is necessary to develop a hand after a stroke, and not let everything take its course, taking only medications. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the required types of techniques that will help restore the motor functions of the paralyzed part of the body, in this case, these are the hands.

Gymnastics

After the crisis period has passed, it is recommended for the first two months to perform simple gymnastic exercises for the hands after a stroke throughout the day for only 15 minutes. You can do modeling from plasticine, write something with a pen or swim. But do not overexert yourself with exercises, because you can provoke a second attack in this way.

Application of the simulator

A rather effective method in the process of restoring the functioning of a paralyzed part of the body is a hand simulator after a stroke. Thanks to him happens:

• normalization of muscle tone;
• elimination of pain during movement;
• improvement of blood circulation and trophism;
• overcoming the psychological factor.

In addition, with the help of a hand massager after a stroke, the relationship between the brain and the limbs, as well as with other muscle systems, is restored, which as a result will lead to the restoration of the lost physical form.

acupuncture

This method has become quite popular, and the process itself consists in the fact that the patient is punctured with thin needles along the paralyzed part of the body. The electrical impulses sent from the GM promote the return of mobility by influencing the nerves and muscles that are responsible for the operation of the upper limb.

Exercises to help restore mobility

Particular attention should be paid to the fact that it is imperative to perform the recommended exercises by the attending physician if the hand does not work after a stroke. The duration of execution depends on the severity of the consequences after the attack. The main ones are:

1. It is required to rub and knead each finger on the hand for 15 seconds.
2. If possible, you need to spread your fingers as much as possible, and then they should be clenched into a fist. The number of exercises at one time must be performed 5 times.
3. You can lie down comfortably and in this position do exercises with your toes. That is, while lying down, pull your fingers over yourself, while they need to be spread out. Then you need to squeeze your finger pointing them away from you.
4. Having clasped the fingers of the hands with a lock and holding them in this position, try to raise each finger in turn. For example, you first need to raise the thumb on the right hand, and the next one will go on the left hand, and so on to the little finger.
5. You can make finger clicks, but you need to do it 5 times at a time, and you need to make them on each finger.

It must also be said that doctors recommend using special accessories to help restore hands after a stroke at home, which help to knead the hands. For example, you can apply:

• massage balls that look like a hedgehog;
• the Rubik's cube contributes to the work of all the muscles of the hand at once;
• try to assemble a children's designer;
• sculpt figures from plasticine;
• play chess and checkers.

But it should certainly be noted that the appointment of rehabilitation of the hand after a stroke, and in the case of other complications that have arisen, treatment is prescribed exclusively on an individual basis.

Traditional medicine

If you use traditional medicine, then before using them, it is imperative to consult with your doctor. How to restore a hand after a stroke, and what traditional medicine will help in solving such a problem? There are quite a few recipes that help improve blood circulation, relieve swelling, and increase muscle tone. Among the most popular are the most effective:

• honey with the addition of mother's milk;
• ointment, where the base contains pine needles and bay leaf;
• a tincture that was prepared from the flowers of mountain arnica;
• a medicine made on the basis of Japanese Sophora;
• herbal preparations, which include motherwort, mint and St. John's wort.

It should be recalled that the main task of the recovery process after a stroke is to restore the normal circulation of the upper limb. The presented traditional medicine can only help the process of restoring the function of the hand after a stroke, but in no way replace the mandatory methods of treatment and rehabilitation procedures.

How to do recovery exercises

For maximum efficiency of the work performed to resume the normal functioning of the injured arm after a stroke, it is necessary to follow the rules for performing exercises. They are:

1. You should always start performing exercises with a healthy hand, since in this way the areas that are responsible for the mobility of the upper limb are activated.
2. If an assistant conducts the lesson, then the patient must certainly mentally repeat all the exercises performed.
3. Initially, classes should be carried out aimed at flexion and extension of large muscles, and only after there is progress can one begin to develop fine motor skills.

Be sure to do the exercises every day, but at the same time so that they are not repeated daily. It is recommended to repeat in 2-3 days.

In conclusion, it is imperative to indicate that a person who has had a stroke can fully restore lost motor functions if he strictly follows the recommendations of the attending physician and follows all the rules for doing exercises. Also, the above information provides an opportunity to know how to develop a hand after a stroke, and what accessories are needed for this. A very important point is that a person who has had a stroke should want to restore the motor function of the paralyzed part of the body. Accordingly, do not be inactive, but try to do the exercises, even if it seems that this is impossible.