Regaining Your Strength And Independence - Arm Rehabilitation Exercises For Stroke Patients
For many people, aging comes with a wide variety of new and difficult health concerns. One of the most serious is the increased risk of suffering a stroke that comes with the natural hardening of the blood vessels over time. If you've already been one of the millions of yearly American stroke victims, it's important that you do all you can to get back to the life you lived before.
Below, you'll find a guide to some arm and hand exercises you can perform to return to your best health. The loss of strength and mobility that follows a stroke can be a serious challenge, and it's vital that you take every step possible to regain your freedom and independence.
Functional Exercises
The primary goal for most stroke patients is being able to return to their previous quality of life, and for most people, that means being able to perform tasks that you may have previously taken for granted. Focusing on functional exercises is a great way to be able to cope while you work on rebuilding strength.
One of the best ways to perform these exercises is to restrict your use of your unaffected arm by wearing an oven mitt or a similar device. This will force you to train yourself to use the affected limb, and while it can seem frustrating at first, the long term benefits will be numerous.
Strength Training
A great deal of the challenge in using your hands and arms after a stroke comes from increased spasticity of the muscles. If you lack strength, it will be very difficult to fight the natural tendency of your muscles to constrict.
Even moderate exercise with arm bands and pulley weights can return a great deal of strength and control to your hands and arms. These exercises will be only moderate exertions but their health benefits will be felt throughout your daily life.
Stretching
Returning elasticity and flexibility to your arm muscles is another key step in making sure those muscles are under your control. By performing consistent stretching exercises and focusing on your range of motion, you can train your hands and arms to be responsive to direct commands. This will allow you to relieve tension in your muscles and have a great amount of control over your day to day movements, significantly reducing the burden that your stroke may have placed on your ability to perform daily tasks.
For further assistance, contact professionals, such as those from Nick Roselli Occupational Therapy.
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