Rehab Exercises For Arm After Stroke

Rehabilitation can help stroke victims recover their physical abilities and independence through a structured training program. The degree of recovery varies from patient to patient, based on factors such as therapy frequency and severity of the initial injury, and repetition is key. Rehabilitation exercises for the arms of a stroke patient should focus on maintaining or improving range of motion, improving strength and improving coordination.

Range of Motion

Stroke patients may experience restricted range of motion of their arms, in addition to impaired muscle control. Uncontrolled muscle contractions may restrict range of motion even more and make it much harder to move your arms. Stretching and ranging exercises can help restore normal movement of the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. Each movement of each joint should be moved or stretched through the patient's pre-stroke range of motion. Passive range of motion exercises are performed with assistance from a therapist, while active range of motion exercises are partially or completely performed by the patient.

Strength

Brain damage caused by a stroke can lead to severe weakness or paralysis of muscles. Improvements in the strength of stroke patients typically occur because of neurological improvements, not changes in muscle tissue. Stroke patients need to perform exercises focused on gaining strength. The weight of their limb may be too much for them to move, so provide assistance or choose exercises where the effect of gravity is lessened. Perform exercises in all planes of motion and for all joints. Constraint-induced therapy seeks to improve arm strength for patients with a weak side by restraining the strong arm and requiring the patient to use only the weak arm.

Coordination

It may be difficult for stroke victims to move both arms at the same time or perform different movements simultaneously. Some patients may only be able to perform single joint exercises, while others may be able to perform multijoint exercises. Start with exercises that involve moving only one arm, then progress to two arms, alternating and quickly switching movements. After the patient has mastered this sequence, have each arm perform a different task simultaneously. Each progression requires greater coordination of the nervous system, making the progressions more challenging for the patient.

Scapular Rhythm

Your shoulder blades move in rhythm with your shoulder joints and allow you to perform movements such as lifting your arm over your head. Stroke patients with moderate upper body paralysis may have impaired scapular rhythm, making it harder to move their arms correctly. Rehab exercises for the arm after a stroke should incorporate exercises for scapular rhythm. Possible exercises include shoulder shrugs, shoulder depressions, snow angels, scapula squeezes, sword draws, and drawing the W I T Y letter sequence in midair. More advanced patients can perform multijoint exercises such as the chest press, row, incline chest press, lat pulldown and shoulder press.