Stroke

What is it?

A stroke happens when blood (that carries oxygen to the brain) cannot get to your brain because of a blocked or burst artery. As a result, your brain cells die due to lack of oxygen.

There are two types of stroke:

1)    Ischaemic Stroke – where an artery in the brain gets blocked by a clot

2)    Haemorrhagic Stroke – where a blood vessel in the brain breaks, causing bleeding

Because different parts of the brain are responsible for different functions in the body, the impact of the stroke depends on the area of the brain it damages. 

TIA – a transient ischaemic attack happens when the blood supply to your brain is blocked temporarily. The signs are the same for stroke but they disappear within a short time. After a TIA, your risk of stroke if higher.

What causes a Stroke?

Common risk factors that can lead to a stroke are high blood pressure, sex (men are at greater risk), increased age, being overweight, smoking, high cholesterol, excessive alcohol consumption and diabetes.

How can Enhance Motion help those who have had a Stroke?

A lot of the risk factors that can cause a TIA/Stroke are able to be reduced by working with our health professionals. Exercise and strength training can help to lower blood pressure, decrease weight, lower cholesterol and help reduce your risk of diabetes. Our physiotherapists and exercise physiologists are experts when it comes to helping you move your body and stay healthy and thus reduce your risk of a stroke. Whilst our Occupational Therapists can help rehabilitation of any cognitive impairment, pain, fatigue, altered sensation, neglect of one side of the body or visual and perceptual impairments.

Our occupational therapists, physiotherapists and exercise physiologists are also very well equipped at helping to restore strength, mobility, balance, cognition and function lost following a Stroke.

Please note that our facilities are not equipped to deal with very low-functioning Stroke patients (i.e we do not have access to a hoist and the ability to assist those requiring 2+assist).

 

Information from strokefoiundation.org.au