Stroke Rehabilitation

(Cerebral Vascular Event)

Physiotherapy & occupational therapy play a fundamental role in rehabilitation following a stroke by helping to promote recovery, improve mobility and function, regain independence, and improve quality of life.

 Recovery after a stroke can take days, weeks, months and even years and affects people in many different ways. Some people will have significant changes to their life and other people won't be as affected.

 Your recovery depends on how severe the stroke was and how much it impacted your physical and mental function as well as your rehabilitation following the event.

 Following a stroke you may have changes to your personality, mood, cognition, energy levels, continence, speech and swallow, sensation, function, co-ordination, balance, movement, tone, posture and mobility which can all have a significant impact in how you live your life.

 Stroke rehabilitation can significantly help to improve your symptoms and your quality of life.

What is a stroke?

A stroke (CVA) is the result of a sudden loss of blood flow to the brain. This is caused either due to a lack of blood flow (ischaemic stroke) or due to bleeding (haemorrhagic stroke). 

How physiotherapy & occupational therapy can help?

Following your stroke you will have had regular input from the therapy team as well as other health professionals in hospital to start your rehabilitation journey and promote recovery. Following your discharge home, physiotherapy & occupational therapy will still play a huge role in your ongoing rehabilitation. We can help support the NHS team with additional visits and can continue with longer term rehabilitation to help maximise your recovery.

 Physiotherapy and occupational therapy can help restore loss of movement, regain strength and function, progress mobility and balance, improve co-ordination and quality of movement and can help regain independence. A personalised rehabilitation programme can help you recover quicker and address specific areas of needs.

 Neurological physiotherapists specialise in neurological conditions such as a stroke and use various physiotherapy techniques to help a process called neuroplasticity. Although the brain cannot grow new cells it has the ability to reorganise and rewire connections to new areas of the brain.

 In order to establish lasting connections via neuroplasticity high repetitions of the new skill or task needs to be completed. Your physiotherapist will wish to stimulate the brain as much as possible with specific exercises, movements or tasks to help recruit and form new neural connections.

 Your specialist neurological physiotherapist or occupational therapist will wish to complete a detailed assessment on the first visit helping to establish a tailored rehabilitation plan for you working towards your rehabilitation goals. We will support you and the people around you to help aid your rehabilitation as much as possible.

How can a stroke affect mobility?

Reduced strength- one side of your body may have reduced strength or movement or you may be completely paralysed on one side, known as hemiplegia. 

 Physiotherapy can help to strengthen weak muscles with targeted exercises, progression and repetition.

 Sensation changes- your limbs may feel heavy, you may have reduced sensation or pins and needles.

 Occupational therapy & physiotherapy may help to improve sensory loss. They may want to use different textures or objects, temperature differentiation, light touch or pressure over the area to help you relearn the sensation. 

 Joint or muscle pain- you may experience pain in your joints or muscles following your stroke which can make it difficult to move or walk.

 Physiotherapy & occupational therapy can help to reduce pain in your joints or muscles by using a variety of techniques. This may include stretches, exercises, strengthening, positioning, splinting or casting advice, equipment or pain management techniques. 

Reduced co-ordination or execution of movement- it may be difficult to send the messages you want to send to your legs or arms to move and the movement may be jerky or clumsy.

Physiotherapy can help to improve co-ordination and movement by retaining the brain and building new connections and pathways through neuroplasticity to improve motor control and task execution.

Changes to muscle tone or spasticity- due to the change in the way the nerves control the muscles this can lead to changes in muscle tone. You may have increased muscle tone where there is an extended period of muscle contraction or spasm resulting in spasticity. High muscle tone can make it difficult to move and can result in contractures. Low muscle tone can make the limb feel heavy and limp making it challenging to perform activities or movement. 

Physiotherapy targeted exercises, stretches and range of movement can help to manage muscle tone and reduced spasticity helping to prevent contractures from developing which can cause permanent loss of range. Occupational therapy can help with postural management and positioning to help manage changes in muscle tone.

Foot drop- paralysis or weakness to the muscles that control dorsi flexion of the ankle (lifting the foot up) can result in a foot drop making it difficult to walk.  

Physiotherapy may be able to improve the muscle strength and function of the muscles around the ankle and lower leg. An ankle foot orthosis (AFO) is a type of brace which is often used to help manage the symptoms of foot drop and improve safety with walking.

Why choose us?

You will be seen by an expert neurological physiotherapist or occupational therapist who is well experienced to fully assess and guide your rehabilitation journey.

We specialise in rehabilitation at home and have many years of experience working with neurological conditions and complex cases.

 We pride ourselves on providing a high quality service and use a holistic approach to address all areas of wellbeing to ensure you receive the best possible care.

 Please get in touch for a non obligation chat about how we can help.

Our neurological physiotherapists & occupational therapists can help maximise your rehabilitation at home.

Please contact us to discuss your requirements on:

07384590177

You can find out more about our home physiotherapy & occupational therapy service by following this link:

home physiotherapy

To book a consultation or to find out more you can do one of the following:

Get in touch

Our chartered physiotherapists are registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and are members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).