Stroke Clinic

Stroke is a limiting event in a patient’s life which 90% of the times results in disability and after effects. The same affects the mobility of the patients and their quality of life. Below are some of the common disabilities that affect patients:

• Weakness and paralysis:
  Hemiparesis (one sided- left or right) weakness of the entire body is one o the major impairments in patients after stroke. Weakness can also be limited to just an arm or leg. Weakness of the hand muscles results in reduced hand grip strength on the affected side of the body, which also affects the daily activities. This results in loss of functioning and independence.

• Problems associated with movement and coordination:
  Motor impairment, muscle weakness, impaired walking ability, impaired natural gait, difficulty in maintaining balance and increased risk of falls are some other impairments because of difficulty in movement and coordination.

• Language problem:
  The patient can develop difficulties in communicating. Stroke survivors can suffer from conditions known as dysarthria. In this condition the patient cannot pronounce words properly due to weakness of muscles of face and mouth. Some patients also develop aphasia- Inability to process language.

• Swallowing difficulty:
  The patients with stroke may find difficulty in swallowing, resulting in inadequate food intake and nutritional impairment. There are also chances of the food particles going into from the food pipe to the respiratory tube.

• Difficulty in controlling bladder and bowel:
  Patients can suffer from difficulties in controlling urination and bowel movements.

• Psychological problems:
  Patients suffer from cognitive dysfunction, loss of esteem, confidence and depression. This can result in emotional changes and physical injury to the brain because of the stroke.

• Impaired quality of life:
  The physical and psychological impairments lead to various difficulties in performing the daily activities. The patient can get dependent on the caregiver and other attendants. Stroke also has financial implications on the family as direct costs of the medicines; absenteeism from work can affect the life of family members.

Stroke is a disease caused due to the damage of the brain cells with reduced blood supply or due to bleeding in the brain tissue. It causes considerable disability making rehabilitation an important part of the comprehensive management. Rehabilitation induces the existing brain cells to do the work of the damaged brain. In some people rehabilitation may not be required due to the mild nature of the stroke, and the people recover without any disability. However in some the effects may be severe. The doctor and the caregiver work in close coordination with the patient to provide him the direction, motivation and recommendations to improve his/her quality of life.

The objectives of the rehabilitation are:

• Restore functional independence in the patients.
• To introduce either hospital based or outpatient based rehabilitation programs.
• To introduce hospital based rehabilitation programs for mild to moderate patients.
• To provide and support for the rehabilitation sessions at home
• To provide occupational support, physiotherapy, speech therapy, patient education and family education.
• To provide physical and speech therapy to the patients

The team of rehabilitation program includes healthcare professionals, rehabilitation nurses, physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, social workers and psychologists. The family or the caregiver’s role is very important in the rehabilitation process especially in taking the patient to the rehabilitation centre, encouraging the patient for practicing the skills that are learned during rehabilitation.   It is important to select the right program and orient the patient to go through the recommended rehabilitation program.