Written By Keisya Talitha Aulia
What is Stroke?
Stroke is symptoms that happen in a focal neurological deficit related to vascular injury of the central nervous system. Stroke can happen when blood flow is being stopped or disrupted by blood clots or others in the brain causing the brain to no longer receive blood or oxygen supply. Stroke is commonly known to have caused death due to one of its risk factors which is heart disease. Patients with stroke may also experience some disability. The disability of doing basic movements such as moving, eating, and speaking occurs because brain function will be lost when the brain cells die.
Types of Stroke
In general, strokes are divided into two different types such as ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. Ischemic stroke is considered to be the most common type of stroke. This condition happens when there is something including a blood clot, cholesterol, or plaque that blocks a major blood vessel in the brain. On the other hand, hemorrhagic stroke takes place when a blood vessel splits and spills into nearby tissue. Damage and irritation may occur even more in this type of stroke.
Source: Healthline
Stroke Factors
There are several manageable factors that can cause stroke such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, smoking, patients with a history of TIAs (Transient Ischemic Attacks), high red blood cell count, blood cholesterol and lipids, cardiac structural abnormalities, and others. However, some risk factors cannot be changed. For instance, older people starting at age 55 have higher chances, race specifically African Americans tend to have a higher risk for death and disability caused by strokes, gender, history of prior stroke, and heredity. Apart from this, additional risk factors include extreme temperatures, social and economic factors typically among low-income societies, and cultural differences in each place such as lifestyle, smoking, and habits.
Common Stroke Symptoms
Major symptoms of strokes include numbness on some body parts including face, arm, and leg, trouble speaking, vision problems, dizziness, balance or coordination problems, fainting, and headaches. Further symptoms as well as nausea and TIA or mini-stroke. Generally, patients with TIA may experience TIA for a few minutes or 24 hours. Nevertheless, these days people are more acknowledging F.A.S.T. warning signs to figure out a stroke. This stands for Face drooping on one side, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, and Time to call 911 for emergency help. These warning signs help it easier for society to have a better acknowledgement and awareness in spotting strokes.
Stroke Prior Rehabilitation Treatments
Stroke rehabilitation is generally done depending on each stroke type. Brain scans will be done to show what type of stroke and help to decide future treatments. For instance, treating ischemic stroke is done by giving patients a thrombolytic medicine to help break the blood clots. Other treatments may also be suggested by doctors including blood thinners and surgery to remove blood clots that disturb blood circulation.
However, other treatments are done to treat hemorrhagic stroke. For example, endovascular procedures help to repair breaks in a blood vessel. Surgery may also be done by putting a metal clip to stop the bleeding if it is caused by a ruptured aneurysm to treat strokes.
Recent Development of Stroke Rehabilitation Treatments
In recent years, the neuroscience community has made significant improvements in developing technology that help humans to have a better understanding of the brain such as through neuroimaging techniques using tools like Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and functional MRI. These tools help to further investigate the enhancement of stroke rehabilitation treatments. For instance, the development of Constraint-Induced (CI) therapy for motor recovery. CI is a neurological rehabilitation treatment and is done by improving the affected limb’s motor movement post strokes while limiting the non-affected limb to force the affected limb to work better. Research has been done using functional MRI that helps neuroscientists see the result in the stroke patient’s brain after CI therapy.
Furthermore, Partial Body Weight-Supported Treadmill Training (PBW-STT) is also considered to be another promising technique for gait training post-stroke. PBW-STT aims to activate the spinal cord gait pattern generator. A modified parachute harness helps to give the feeling of safety and comfort to the patient while moving slowly on the treadmill. PBTW-STT provides the practice of walking as the normal walking movement for patients with strokes. However, the procedures require at least one therapist to control the patient’s walking movement throughout the treatment process. PBTW-STT is also considered to be another form of CI treatment. Additionally, this treatment may only be most useful for patients with low levels of stroke.
Source: High Hopes Dubai
References
American Stroke Association. Stroke Symptoms. Retrieved from https://www.stroke.org/en/about-stroke/stroke-symptoms.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2023. Treat and Recovery from Stroke. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/treatments.htm.
John Hopkins Medicine. 2024. Stroke. Retrieved from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/stroke.
Murphy, S.J., Werring, D.J. 2020. Stroke: Causes and Clinical Features. Medicine (Abingdon) 48(9): 561-566. DOI: 10.1016/j.mpmed.2020.06.002.
Reding, M.J., Rocksmith, E.R. 2002. New Developments in Stroke Rehabilitation. Current Atherosclerosis Reports. DOI: 10.1007/s11883-002-0006-6.
Wang, D et al. 2022. The Mechanism and Clinical Application of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy in Stroke Rehabilitation. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 16: 828599. DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.828599.
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