One of the main goals of physical therapy is to help people improve or restore their body’s overall function following an injury, surgery, or medical conditions and challenges. A stroke is one of those medical conditions.

A stroke, also known as a cerebrovascular accident, is a medical emergency. It occurs when the blood flow to the brain has been interrupted, decreased or blocked. Every year, approximately 15 million people around the world have a stroke. A person can experience a variety of long-term effects on their mental, physical and emotional well-being following a stroke. When it comes to physical therapy, you’re likely to focus on improving muscle weakness, pain, numbness and incontinence.

Read on to learn about the specific ways that physical therapists can assist with stroke recovery. We’ll also discuss treatment options available at Lattimore Physical Therapy. 

8 ways that physical therapy can help with recovering from a stroke

Stroke recovery looks a bit different for everyone, and it’s often a gradual process. It’s possible to recover from a stroke. It usually includes long-term treatment to improve a person’s strength and mobility as much as possible. It can take months or years to recover from a stroke. However, the most significant improvements take place in the first four months. 

Physical therapy is one of the first courses of action that health care providers will include in a patient’s recovery plan. It sometimes starts in the hospital less than two days after the medical emergency. It’s possible for physical therapy to shorten the recovery period following a stroke.

There are a variety of ways that physical therapists may help you through stroke recovery, including:

• Improved balance and gait — Walking and moving safely throughout the day can be significantly affected by a stroke for a variety of reasons. Muscle weakness, foot drop, and interference with muscle and brain connection can play a role. A physical therapist can help your balance and coordination as well as your gait, which is the position of your body as you walk. It may involve muscular reeducation, gait training and strengthening exercises.
• Increased muscle strength — A loss of muscle strength is one of the most common and lasting effects following a stroke. Not only does muscle weakness lead to an impacted balance and gait, but it can also cause stiffness, risk of falling and low stamina. A physical therapist can guide you through safe and effective muscle strengthening exercises. You may learn hip flexions, sit-to-stands and supine bridges. They can also create an exercise program for you to practice in between sessions.
• Restored movement patterns — A primary goal for every stroke recovery patient is to get back to their everyday routines as much as possible. That includes completing tasks like picking up eating utensils, putting on clothes and getting out of bed. A physical therapist can help you through task-oriented training. You’ll teach your body how to regain movement patterns, such as bending your elbow, curling your fingers and rotating your shoulder. This training can help boost your confidence and independence.
• Reduced risk of complications — The unfortunate truth is that a stroke can lead to many health complications. It may cause cardiac issues, blood clots and seizures. While it’s impossible to completely eliminate the risk of complications, physical therapy can reduce the likelihood of developing them. PT helps by improving the overall function of your body. Through exercises and training, physical therapy can promote blood circulation, reduce muscle stiffness and prevent muscle shortening to reduce the risk of recovery complications.
• Decreased pain — Approximately 10% of people who are recovering from strokes will experience chronic pain that can interfere with their overall quality of life. Pain management is one of the main components of physical therapy and can involve a variety of treatments for stroke recovery. Safe exercises can help reduce pain, and modalities such as electrical stimulation can also have a positive effect by blocking pain signals.
• Stimulated impacted nerves — Numbness is both a symptom and a lasting effect for people who have experienced a stroke. Nerve damage can not only lead to numbing or tingling, but it can also cause headaches, sexual dysfunction and even paralysis. A physical therapist can help combat these issues by stimulating the nerves. This may include electrical stimulation and exercises. They can also use manual therapy, a technique in which they use their hands to manipulate the affected tissue to increase blood flow to the affected nerves. 
• Reduced incontinence — Urinary and fecal incontinence are common for people who are recovering from a stroke. In fact, up to 60% of people who are hospitalized after a stroke experience urinary incontinence. This is likely due to the weakness of the muscles that support the bowels and bladder. These muscles are known as the pelvic floor. Physical therapy can include pelvic floor rehabilitation, which includes exercises and muscle reeducation to improve the function and control of the bladder.
• Assistance device guidance — Safety is always a prime concern for people recovering from a stroke. Many people have challenges with walking and moving around after a stroke. It’s possible that your provider will recommend or provide a walking assistance device, such as a cane or walker. A physical therapist can help you learn how to safely use this device for independence. With your physical therapist’s help, you may slowly rely less on it with time.

Lattimore Physical Therapy can help you recover from a stroke

A stroke can cause physical, mental and emotional challenges. However, there is always hope for recovery. It’s important to take the right steps to restore your capabilities to improve your overall quality of life. There are health care treatments that can help you along your recovery journey. One of those treatments is physical therapy.

At Lattimore Physical Therapy, we not only want to help you increase your strength and mobility following a stroke, but we also want to give you the hope and confidence you need to keep going. Despite the challenges that may be brought on by a stroke, our physical therapists can help you believe in your own capabilities to overcome those roadblocks and continue working toward the healthiest version of yourself.

In your first appointment with us, we’ll evaluate your symptoms as well as your capabilities, such as balance, strength, mobility and gait. We’ll determine what will be the safest and most effective treatment while also considering your medical history and overall goals. 

We offer a variety of treatments that can help to move you along your recovery journey. We may include exercises, electrical stimulation and manual therapy into your treatment plan to help you restore your body’s function.

If manual therapy is included in your treatment plan, we will provide you with the top-tier care that you deserve. Many of our therapists put in the time and effort to earn their COMT, or Certification in Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy. Lattimore PT has 30 fully certified COMTs who have the specialized expertise in manual therapy to get you the best results possible. We’re the only place in town with a COMT in almost every clinic.

Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment if you’re on the journey to recovering from a stroke.