Rehabilitation after a stroke - first aid and recovery after a stroke

According to statistics, strokes occur more often in older people (over 50-55 years old), but in recent years, attacks have often been diagnosed in young people. Fortunately, cerebral infarction can be prevented by carefully monitoring your health and avoiding risk factors and external sources of pathology.

The main causes of apoplexy

First of all, you should understand the processes occurring in the body during a stroke. An acute condition occurs when the blood supply to certain areas of the "main computer" of our body is disrupted. In this case, the functioning of the systems controlled by the damaged parts of the brain is disrupted.

In modern medicine, circulatory disorders are usually divided based on the mechanism of the pathological condition:

• ischemic stroke (thrombosis of the arteries, causing a lack of oxygen and cell death);
• hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding into brain tissue, which occurs when blood vessels rupture, most often against the background of a hypertensive crisis).

It is important to understand that stroke ranks second in the sad mortality rating in the world. According to the World Health Organization, more than 6 million people die from apoplexy every year. The risk group includes elderly people with concomitant diseases of the cardiovascular or endocrine systems.

Factors that increase the risk of an acute condition:

• high blood pressure (hypertension negatively affects the condition of the vessel walls, increasing the risk of ruptures);
• obesity (excess body weight is always accompanied by an increase in cholesterol levels in the blood, which causes atherosclerosis and, as a consequence, thrombosis of the cerebral vessels);
• bad habits (smoking and alcohol abuse destroy the cardiovascular system);
• low mobility (prolonged sitting or lying down significantly increases the risk of blood clots).

Endocrine diseases can be singled out as a separate group. A disease such as diabetes mellitus increases the likelihood of a stroke several times due to thinning of the vessel walls.

First aid for stroke

An acute attack of cerebrovascular accident can be suspected by general cerebral symptoms. In most cases, there is a disturbance of consciousness, confusion of speech, abnormal agitation or, conversely, unmotivated drowsiness. Patients often complain of severe headaches, nausea and vomiting. Further manifestations depend on which part of the "main controller" of the body is damaged.

A stroke can be confirmed using a simple "UZP" technique. First of all, the patient should be asked to smile (in case of a stroke, the lips are clearly curved), say a few phrases (speech impairment is considered one of the main symptoms of the pathological condition) and raise both arms up (the limbs should work synchronously).

If the attack is confirmed, it is necessary to call an ambulance (a cardiac resuscitation team). It is important to know that not every clinic has the equipment for effective therapy, so you should not try to take the patient to the hospital yourself. Before the arrival of specialists, the victim must be laid down, suffocation by vomit or other body fluids must be excluded. It would be a good idea to improve ventilation by opening windows and removing tight clothing (unbutton the shirt, loosen the tie). In case of loss of consciousness, cardiopulmonary resuscitation is performed.

Treatment and recovery period

Therapeutic actions for stroke are reduced to providing proper first aid, supporting the main functions of vital systems during an attack and rehabilitation procedures that help improve the quality of the patient's future life.

It should be understood that the damaged areas of the brain will not recover. Normalization of the victim's condition is possible only due to the mechanisms of neuroplasticity, that is, the restructuring of the functioning of neurons located in neighboring locations of the "main computer" of our body. Such a process can take years, so you should not hope for a quick positive result.

The direction of restorative manipulations depends entirely on which area received the greatest damage. Most often, motor functions and speech suffer, sensitivity deteriorates. The rehabilitation complex includes:

• acupuncture (effective stimulation helps to avoid muscle atrophy and spasticity);
• manual techniques (correct massage improves blood circulation and reduces the risk of blood clots);
• verticalization (the patient must be periodically raised, based on the motor deficit);
• orthesis therapy (the use of special fixators that protect the musculoskeletal system).

Remedial gymnastics should be described separately. Physical activity is selected by the doctor individually, taking into account the severity of the injury and the general condition of the patient. The main goal of exercise therapy is to improve coordination, maintain muscle tone. Of course, you should not hope that the victim will walk immediately after a stroke. To begin with, movements are imitated in a lying position, maintaining balance, learning how to place the legs correctly, and only then the first attempts to move independently.

One of the important stages of recovery is control of the swallowing process. Dysphagia is considered a pressing problem that causes suffocation when taking solid or liquid food. If such a problem is identified, it is necessary to select the optimal diet. Diet elements should be of the correct consistency and thickness. Electrical stimulation of the larynx muscles shows good rehabilitation results.

Speech restoration should be carried out by a professional speech therapist. An individual program is selected that includes stimulating and developing (sometimes disinhibiting) methods. In parallel with such lessons, articulation development procedures, gymnastic breathing exercises for the pharynx and pharynx are carried out. In most cases, therapy is performed at home, 2-3 times a week.

We must not forget about the mental state of the patient. A stroke often causes severe emotional changes. Depression leads to apathy, inhibition. Normal rehabilitation in such conditions is impossible. A psychotherapist can help the victim by prescribing antidepressants or other medications.

Rehabilitation at home

After all the necessary procedures to restore the body's basic functions in a hospital setting, the patient returns home. Unfortunately, a certain motor deficit often remains. In this case, the victim's loved ones need to learn certain rules of care.

It is very important to increase mobility. After a stroke, you should move more, if possible, stay in an upright position. Particular attention should be paid to diet. Food should be of a certain thickness and temperature. In most cases, it is recommended to reduce the amount of salt and avoid fatty foods to avoid increasing cholesterol levels.

The possibilities of rehabilitation after an apoplexy attack are quite large, but it is important to understand that the prognosis depends entirely on the severity of the injury. Under certain conditions, recovery is simply impossible.