How Stroke Affects Your Physical Abilities in 10 Ways

Stroke can be the unseen enemy that robs you of your independence when you’re not watching your health. While every stroke attack is considered unique to every patient, there are common effects that every stroke survivor understands. At Road to Recovery Physical and Occupational Therapy, we intend to orient you with these effects so that you can see the seriousness and life threats that stroke brings to an individual.

Thankfully, a stroke will not be the conclusion of how wonderful life can be lived. There are therapy services in Williamsburg. that give meaning to the title “stroke survivor”. Meanwhile, consider the following physical effects of stroke:

1. Vision 
   Since the optic nerves are connected with many parts of the brain, visual imbalances are expected to occur in stroke patients. The patient may experience having double vision, seeing with jerky eyes, and inability to track a moving object, among others.
2. Shoulder pain 
   This pain occurs when the shoulder joint is partially dislocated due to rotator cuff muscles that have been weakened by the stroke. Gravity pulls the paralyzed arm downward, aggravating the separation of the upper arm bone from the shoulder blade.
3. Dysphagia 
   Due to the stroke, swallowing becomes difficult caused by the numbing of the facial muscles. With dysphagia, the patient may also experience improper nutrition, pneumonia, and worsening disability.
4. Lingering pain 
   There is a seemingly unending pain that occurs in a stroke patient which is also called the central pain syndrome. A simple prick on the skin can feel like a never-ending torment to the patient.
5. Imbalance 
   Stroke can affect a person’s balance and put them at risk of life-threatening falls. Patients who experience post-stroke imbalances can often recover by participating in a physical therapy in Far Rockway.
6. Claw toe 
   The neuromuscular imbalances brought about by stroke can also cause muscle imbalances in the feet resulting in curled or claw toes. The muscle nerves pull on the toe muscles, which tighten the tendons and curl the toes in a painful and abnormal way.
7. Foot drop 
   The foot drop occurs because the muscles that originally lift the front part of the feet are now paralyzed because of the stroke. As a result, the patient can have difficulty in lifting their foot and walking about.
8. Seizure 
   Seizures are characterized by uncontrollable body movements, unusual feelings, and eventual blackout. When stroke causes the brain’s malfunction, it also triggers the brain cells to fire unusually big amounts of energy, in contrast to the normal way of on-and-off release pattern.
9. Spasticity 
   When the muscle goes through episodes of stiffness or tightness after a stroke attack, it’s having spasticity. Experts on occupational therapy in Brooklyn, New York can help the patient overcome this condition.
10. Fatigue 
    With all the physical damage that stroke brings, emotional, and psychological fatigue can be expected to occur.

Do you know someone who recently had a stroke? Feel free to recommend our services of physical therapy in Brooklyn, New York.