- Physical issues post stroke can affect the ability of using one or both hands, the ability to walk, bend over or move the arms. The first step towards physical therapy is simply learning to get your balance and learn to stand upright. Physical therapists will typically extend the amount of time a patient stands in one spot from day to day, adding small steps to the mix helps teach the affected limbs to move again where they need to go. A cane or walker is sometimes used to aid in this exercise. From there it's important to learn to walk in a straight line, to learn how to go around obstacles and how to climb stairs again. These exercises should be done with caution and supervision from a trained professional who can give tips and guide the patient in how to learn these activities again.
- Mental function is most often affected by stroke. While the physical effects of stroke can be devastating so can the mental disabilities that can occur such as difficulties with math function, reasoning, logic and concept. These tasks can be learned again with the proper exercises. At first trying to do a simple logic problem can be impossible but having someone work with the patient over and over, repeating the exercise and explaining the reasoning behind it will re-teach the brain how to do these tasks. Learning to add or multiply again can be possible with enough repetition and stimulation of the brain early on.
- Occupational therapy is important because it teaches a stroke patient how to put themselves back into the world. These exercises typically include learning to fold laundry again, do dishes, cook, clean, throw a ball back and forth and picking up small objects like coins. These kind of exercises simply take determination and repetition. At first the hand won't want to pick up a small object and the unaffected hand will try to take over. With enough will power and drive stroke patients can teach their brains how to do these tasks again which increases the ability for these patients to live on their own again, unassisted.
