Move early for your stroke therapy and often to increase function.  Learn about effective stroke exercises with Smart Glove and Smart Board packages.

Stroke Therapy and Exercise: Move Early and Often to Increase Function

About Effective Stroke Exercise and Stroke Therapy


Act fast for your Stroke Therapy!

Nearly 75% of stroke survivors have difficulty with hand and arm movement after
stroke and only about 20% experience some functional recovery in the first 6
months. Focus on upper extremity exercise, particularly during inpatient
rehabilitation, is surprisingly low. In our previous post on stroke therapy dose
[https://www.neofect.com/us/blog/does-therapy-dose-really-matter-for-stroke-recovery/]
, we discussed the importance of greater intensity. When it comes to upper
extremity exercise and therapy, it seems that more is better for functional
outcomes.

Another way to increase stroke therapy dose is to apply an exercise program like 
the GRASP program [http://neurorehab.med.ubc.ca/grasp] that can be easily
self-administered and is flexible enough to work with a range of impairments.
When started early on after stroke in an in-patient setting, four weeks of GRASP
training improved arm and hand function compared to an education program.
Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) can increase the dose of functional
training. Modified protocols are available to increase patient tolerance. Talk
to your therapist to see if these exercise and activity approaches would be a
good fit for your needs.

It’s also important to start moving EARLY when the brain is primed to re-wire
and re-organize itself. Neuroplasticity
[https://www.neofect.com/us/blog/why-neuroplasticity-matters-to-post-stroke-rehabilitation/] 
is the brain’s ability to find alternative pathways for the area of the brain
that was damaged due to a stroke. If we were able to encourage an intensive
therapeutic program early in stroke or brain injury recovery, using a Smart
Rehabilitation Solution like the Neofect Smart Glove
[https://www.neofect.com/us/smart-glove] or Smart Board
[https://www.neofect.com/us/smart-board], it is likely that we could improve
motor function by taking advantage of the brain’s plasticity through repetition.



Post stroke depression is a common after effect of stroke for many individuals.
Depression has been found to have negative effects on functional recovery.
Physical exercise may help in providing a supportive treatment for depression.
It has been found that those that are able to manage post-stroke depression have
greater functional outcomes as well. The take away, exercise can assist in the
management of depression and prolonged depression can keep a stroke survivor
from making the fullest recovery possible.

Move as soon as possible for your stroke therapy when you plan your exercise
program after stroke! Our Smart Glove and Smart Board packages come with
clinical support to allow you to maximize your use of our devices for your
continued stroke therapy and exercise. As you look at different options for your
stroke recovery, our Smart Rehab Solutions may be a good fit for your needs,
call us to discuss your individual rehabilitation goals: (888) 623-8984
[tel:+18886238984].


*Neofect Home Inquiry:
-www.neofect.com [https://www.neofect.com/us]
-Phone: (888) 623-8984 [tel:+18886238984]



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References

 * The future of stroke rehabilitation: upper limb recovery ACNR (
   https://www.acnr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Page-61.pdf)
 * Winstein, et al. (2016). Guidelines for Adult Stroke Rehabilitation and
   Recovery (https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/STR.0000000000000098)