Various types of stroke therapy are required

After having a stroke, you may be able to recover to normal. However, in certain cases, the symptoms of stroke that appear will continue. Therefore, after a stroke, you may have to undergo therapy. What types and options of therapy can you do? Check out the full explanation below.

The importance of undergoing therapy after having a stroke

The goal of undergoing stroke rehabilitation is to restore the ability or body function lost due to stroke. Therapy and rehabilitation can help you restore the function lost when the brain is damaged and can improve your quality of life.

This is of course very important for you not to experience other new health problems such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections, injuries from falls, or the formation of new blood clots.

However, the severity of the stroke experienced by different people can be very different. This determines the likelihood that each patient will be able to return to his condition. With therapy, the patient's condition is often much better than those who choose not to undergo it.

When undergoing therapy after a stroke, factors that need to be considered are that this therapy must be carried out continuously and focus on training certain body functions. This rehabilitation should focus on conditions that are still experienced by the patient, such as weakness, lack of coordination, difficulty walking, vision loss, or speech problems.

Various therapeutic options for stroke patients

The following are some treatment options that can be done after having a stroke:

1. Therapy to improve physical abilities

The therapy that doctors usually recommend for stroke sufferers is physiotherapy, or physical therapy. This therapy is carried out to improve physical abilities that have been weakened or decreased since experiencing a stroke.

Usually, this therapy is done by training the patient's physical or motor skills, such as increasing muscle strength and body coordination. The various exercises performed will be adjusted to the patient's condition.

For example, if a stroke causes the patient to have difficulty chewing food, physical exercise will focus on training the ability to chew food.

However, if a stroke causes a part of the body to be paralyzed, physical exercise will be focused on improving the ability and variety of movement in that area again.

In certain cases, the patient may be asked to use assistive devices, such as a stick, walker or special devices to help the patient walk, or use a wheelchair.

There is also a tool called ankle brace or an ankle brace. This tool can help the ankle to remain stable and strong in supporting body mass while exercising walking.

2. Physical therapy with the help of technology

Along with the development of technology, physical therapy for stroke can also be done with the help of technology. Usually, this one therapy has many variations, one of which is done by stimulating weak muscles using electric power.

The goal is to make these muscles contract so that they can help restore muscle strength. There is also therapy using robotic devices that can help parts of the body that are experiencing paralysis perform repetitive or repetitive movements.

3. Cognitive and emotional therapy

Not all stroke patients experience physical problems. There are also those who experience speech problems, difficulty understanding what other people say, and so on. This condition also has the potential to cause the patient to become mentally weak.

It could be, the patient feels sad, hopeless, and many other things. Therefore, apart from physical therapy, stroke patients also need cognitive and emotional therapy to help improve their quality of life.

Cognitive therapy can help stroke patients who have lost cognitive abilities such as remembering, processing information, making decisions, social skills, to improve these abilities that have decreased due to stroke.

Patients can also undergo speech therapy to restore weakened speaking skills. Not only speaking, stroke patients can also improve their listening and writing skills while undergoing this therapy.

In addition, patients who have had ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes may need help to strengthen the psychological conditions that may have weakened due to a stroke. Your doctor may also recommend the use of antidepressants or other similar drugs.

4. Alternative therapy

In some cases, you may feel more comfortable with alternative therapies, such as massage, acupuncture, use of herbal medicines, or oxygen therapy. Even so, this therapy is still widely debated, whether it can really help stroke patients to restore their quality of life.

Therefore, before undergoing therapy for stroke, make sure that the doctor who treats you knows the therapy plan to be carried out. In addition, you should prioritize the therapy recommended by your doctor.

Factors that can affect the success of stroke therapy

Before undergoing stroke therapy, it is better if you pay attention to what factors can affect the success of this therapy. Among others are:

• The severity of the damage to the brain experienced.
• Patient age, in which children and young patients have a greater cure rate than the elderly.
• The level of self-awareness, because stroke can affect people's ability to focus and follow instructions well.
• The intensity of the therapy undertaken.
• The severity of other health problems.
• The condition or level of security in the patient's home.
• The condition or level of safety at the patient's workplace.
• Family and friends who are willing to provide support and cooperation to help patients undergo stroke therapy success.
• Rehabilitation time. Usually, the sooner it is done, the better.

The right time and place to undergo stroke therapy

You may wonder when and where therapy and rehabilitation can be done. Usually, recovery plans such as undergoing rehabilitation and therapy for stroke patients will be determined with family members in advance.

There are several choices of time and place of therapy that are tailored to the patient's condition.

Inpatient rehabilitation

Usually this type of rehabilitation for stroke patients is carried out in a hospital which has a special unit for physiotherapy for its patients. If you have to undergo inpatient rehabilitation, the patient may be asked to stay for 2-3 weeks to undergo stroke therapy.

The therapy that will be undertaken includes intensive training which is carried out approximately three hours per day, for 5-6 days per week. If you are undergoing therapy in a hospital with adequate physical therapy facilities, you will be accompanied by a physical therapist and various other therapists according to your post-stroke conditions.

Outpatient rehabilitation

This rehabilitation does not require stroke patients to be hospitalized or stay in the hospital while undergoing stroke therapy. Similar to inpatient rehabilitation, this one rehabilitation is also carried out in a hospital with complete facilities.

Typically, patients who are recommended for outpatient rehabilitation only undergo stroke therapy for three days a week. Even though they have to spend almost a day in the hospital, at least the patient will be allowed to go home after completing the therapy session.

However, the intensity of stroke therapy undertaken by the patient will be the same as that of hospitalized patients. However, the patient's condition may be a little better so that he is allowed to undergo outpatient therapy.

Therapy in a rehab

There are also special places to undergo health rehabilitation, such as this rehabilitation home. Usually, rehabilitation centers will provide the various facilities needed by patients in order to be able to undergo stroke therapy properly.

Not only that, you or the closest person who has had a stroke are also allowed to stay overnight while undergoing therapy there. In health rehabilitation homes like this, generally there will be a therapist who will accompany you during the post-stroke recovery process.

In addition, maybe during your treatment at a rehabilitation center, the doctor will occasionally perform examinations and monitor your condition while undergoing stroke therapy.

Rehabilitation at home

For some patients, home is the best place to undergo stroke therapy. If your home is deemed safe and adequate, your doctor and therapist may approve of your request for home rehabilitation.

In addition to the condition and home environment, your condition will also determine whether undergoing therapy at home is the best solution for your health condition. This is because the patient's sense of security and comfort will also be put forward to help the recovery process be faster and more enjoyable for stroke patients.

When treatment for stroke is done at home, your doctor and therapist may visit you several times a week to help you during the rehabilitation process. Usually, therapy will be carried out for 2-3 hours per day.

Professional medical team that assists in stroke therapy

In undergoing stroke therapy, not only doctors will help you, but also various medical professionals who are ready to assist you in the therapy process. Among others are:

1. Team of doctors

This team of doctors is specifically to assist you through therapy, especially physical therapy. These doctors are responsible for regulating and controlling the patient's therapy process, especially long-term stroke therapy.

The team of doctors will also recommend a rehabilitation program that suits the patient's conditions and needs. Typically, this team of doctors includes physicians who are therapists and physical medicine, neurologists, internal medicine doctors, and geriatrics (special doctors for the elderly).

2. The companion sister

The companion nurse during the rehabilitation process can assist and accompany the patient during physical therapy. In addition, it is usually the nurse who will provide various information to patients about routine health care.

Among other things, telling patients when to take medication, and how to maintain healthy skin and control bowel problems that are usually experienced by patients.

Not only that, nurses will also assist patients in doing simple things. For example, like when you want to get out of bed and sit in a wheelchair when you are about to undergo therapy.

3. Physical therapist

Slightly different from doctors, physical therapists are people who will assist you during various physical exercises, such as motor skills and sensory abilities.

This physical therapist will help you restore bodily functions by evaluating and correcting problems related to balance, movement and coordination.

The post-stroke physical therapy program that will be undertaken with this therapist usually includes exercises to strengthen muscle, improve body coordination, and increase the variety of movements of stroke patients.

4. Occupational therapist

Although they both help patients in improving motor and sensory abilities, occupational therapists are not the same as physical therapists. In the therapy process, he will help ensure the patient's safety in carrying out activities during the post-stroke period.

These therapists are more focused on training patients to do more specific things. For example, training patients to wear their own clothes, prepare their own meals, and clean the house independently.

5. Specialist recreational therapy

This therapist will help stroke patients with weakened or reduced body functions so that they can use their free time to improve their health, the ability to do things independently, and of course, quality of life.

6. Speech therapist

In some conditions, strokes can cause the patient to have difficulty speaking. The speech therapist will focus on helping the patient learn to speak. In addition, this therapist can also help patients to communicate in various other ways, if talking is still a difficult thing to do.

Patients who have problems chewing food will also be trained to do this more easily by this one therapist. Not only that, speech therapists also teach problem-solving skills and socializing with other people who may be reduced by a stroke.

7. Psychologist

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a psychologist is one of the teams that will help you recover from stroke therapy. Psychologists will assist patients in maintaining mental and emotional health and assess cognitive abilities of patients after stroke.

8. Vocational therapist

This one therapist may be needed to help patients determine a career after having a stroke. Usually, this one therapist is needed for patients who are still in their productive age.

A vocational therapist will probably assess the abilities and strengths you still have after having a stroke, and help to highlight these abilities in manufacturing resume .

A vocational therapist is actually the same as a career consultant, because it can help identify what jobs are still suitable for you after experiencing this condition.