Starting the Journey: What to Expect from Physiotherapy After a Stroke

Physiotherapy sessions typically involve a variety of exercises and activities aimed at improving strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, and motor skills. These may include mobility exercises, strengthening exercises, stretching exercises, balance training, gait training, and functional activities tailored to the individual’s needs and abilities. Here are some common exercises and activities used in stroke physiotherapy:

• Range of Motion (ROM) Exercises: These exercises help improve flexibility and prevent contractures by moving joints through their full range of motion. Passive, active-assisted, and active ROM exercises may be utilized depending on the patient’s level of ability.

• Strength Training: Strengthening exercises target weakened muscles to improve overall strength and functional abilities. Resistance bands, weights, and bodyweight exercises may be incorporated to challenge muscles safely.
• Balance and Coordination Exercises: Balance exercises are designed to enhance stability and minimize the likelihood of falls. These activities include standing on one leg, navigating uneven surfaces while walking, and practicing weight shifting to enhance coordination and balance.

• Gait Training: Gait training focuses on improving walking ability and restoring a normal walking pattern. This may include practicing step-by-step movements, using assistive devices like canes or walkers, and working on proper foot placement and weight transfer.
• Functional Mobility Activities: These activities simulate real-life tasks to assist stroke survivors in restoring autonomy in their daily tasks. Examples include practicing dressing, grooming, bathing, cooking, and transferring from one surface to another.

• Proprioceptive and Sensory Integration Exercises: These exercises aim to improve proprioception (awareness of body position) and sensory integration, which may be impaired following a stroke. Activities such as balancing on unstable surfaces, tactile stimulation, and visual tracking exercises help enhance sensory perception and motor control.

• Cognitive Rehabilitation: Stroke survivors may experience cognitive impairments such as attention deficits, memory problems, and executive dysfunction. Cognitive rehabilitation exercises focus on improving cognitive skills through tasks such as memory games, problem-solving activities, and attention exercises.

• Cardiovascular Conditioning: Cardiovascular exercises such as walking, cycling, and swimming may be incorporated to improve cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and overall health.

• Mirror Therapy: Mirror therapy is a technique often used in stroke rehabilitation to help improve motor function and reduce pain in affected limbs. The patient performs movements with the unaffected limb while observing the reflection of the movement in a mirror, creating the illusion of movement in the affected limb.

• Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT): CIMT involves restraining the unaffected limb to encourage intensive use of the affected limb during functional tasks and activities. This technique helps promote motor recovery and relearning of movement patterns in the affected limb.