A stroke is any interruption to the flow of blood in the brain. This happens either because the blood flow has been blocked, or a hemorrhage has occurred and blood is leaking. According to the American Heart Association, 700,000 people suffer a stroke each year in the United States. When a person suffers a stroke, the portion of the brain that is affected can lose its ability to function. Exercise can benefit stroke victims in different ways.
Aftermath of a Stroke
People who experience a stroke often lose the use of their limbs, become paralyzed on one side of their body and/or lose the ability to remember, speak and understand language. These symptoms may be temporary or permanent. There are two main physical issues when it comes to a stroke. One of these is paralysis and the other is spasticity, which is muscle resistance and stiffness that often occurs in the arms, legs and fingers.
Mental Benefits of Exercise
Many people who suffer a stroke become depressed and isolated. They may no longer be able to participate in events as they once did and simply going for a walk in their neighborhood may no longer be an option. Exercise can improve the psychological state of a stroke victim by encouraging contact between that person and other people and by improving that person's physical state to the extent that he or she can begin to do some of the things he or she once did. This can help minimize the feeling of isolation and help that person get back into life. Exercise can also improve a stroke victim's ability to think, boost memory and help restore skills that were lost.
Physical Benefits
For people who have suffered a stroke, physical exercise helps the body regain strength, balance and coordination. Aerobic exercise is important and the results of an aerobic exercise program for stroke victims bring about the same results in aerobic improvement as in those who are in the same age group and are healthy, with no history of stroke. A regimen of aerobic, strength and flexibility exercises will help a stroke victim increase the peak oxygen uptake and the person will have considerable improvement in motor function and an increase in walking speed.
Brain Benefits
The rehabilitation period of stroke victims was once only three to four months. Now, medical experts have realized that a longer and more varied exercise program improves the recovery of stroke victims immensely. Aerobic exercise may very well make the brain more malleable and able to form new neural connections. As the stroke victim exercises in various ways, the brain literally gets re-wired. This can help a person regain use of limbs, speech and overall ability to function.
