The Benefits of Walking for Stroke Victims
January 05 2020
Walker for Stroke Patients
It is well known that patients after a stroke face a lot of side effects such as speech impediment or complete loss, memory loss, hearing, and visual impairment, partial or total paralysis, and consequently, inability to walk. It is impossible to avoid all of these side effects, but you can create a supportive environment for recovery. It includes:
- fast and correct diagnosis
- timely medical treatment
- compulsory rehabilitation
It is a proven fact that walking can not only cheer you up and contribute to weight loss but also enhance cognitive abilities, lower blood pressure, and even prevent diabetes. That is why it is utterly important to walk for every person and even more so for stroke victims.
Needless to say, people who have suffered a stroke experience difficulties with such mundane things as walking. In general, it takes over six months for them to relearn to walk as their muscles have atrophied, and their endurance is reduced. Therefore, stroke survivors should definitely gradually add walking exercises to their daily routine.
Firstly, a stroke victim should have a stroke walker in order to reduce the burden on their legs, back muscles, spinal column, and coordinate the movement. So, it is advisable to purchase a walker for stroke patients. There are three types of stroke walkers: two-wheeled, four-wheeled, and those without wheels. Patients who need rehabilitation should choose folding ones.
When Is It Best to Start Rehabilitation?
A patient should start rehabilitation when he or she is stable. Usually, it takes 24 or 48 hours to be relatively certain that the distressed state is over. However, do not hurry to walk before you know that you are truly ready for this. There are some obligatory steps to take before taking stroke walks:
Recover your legs and feet
It is obvious that in order to walk you will need able-bodied and strong legs, as they are the base of walking. Most stroke victims found it difficult to move their legs, and some of them experience a foot drop, which makes it difficult to elevate the forward part of a foot.
Improve your balance
Balance is vital for walking too, that is why you should add some balance exercises Start with heel-to-toe walking or standing on one leg for a few minutes.
Be sure there is nothing wrong with your vision and spatial awareness
It goes without saying that vision and spatial awareness are crucial for walking, and it is dangerous to walk on the streets in such cases. Therefore, do not hesitate to take vision therapy to walk safely.
Practice more
The more you practice walking exercises for stroke patients, the sooner your muscles will get used to these physical efforts. Training stimulates neuroplastic, which is used by the brain to reconnect itself and gain new abilities. Repetition of recovering exercises helps new neutral links to emerge. That is why patients after stroke should repeat rehab exercises again and again during therapy.
Start practicing walking training
Certainly, you cannot run a marathon on your first day of exercise. Walking ten minutes a day will be a great start. Also, do not try to walk faster and instead set up and unhurried but steady pace.
Keep Going Every Day
At first, it might be hard to walk even ten minutes at one go, so it is better to break it into five-minute stages. Though you should not rest on your laurels but gradually increase the load as you get better. But most importantly, keep doing the stroke walks every day.
Obviously, stroke survivors require long-term rehabilitation. Such patients struggle with pain, problems with speech and hearing, paralysis, and difficulties with movement control, which is why they must be under the care of medical specialists. The physicians at All American Home Care are qualified to manage and coordinate the long-lasting care of such patients. Additionally, they will be concerned with the patients’ general health in order to prevent a second stroke from occurring.
Actually, walking is very healthy for human beings as it stimulates movement, physical power, balance, and the flow of oxygen to the brain. Though the brain loses this skill without practice and therefore, patients cannot relearn the forgotten movements. It’s no wonder that rehabilitation and relearning to walk can last quite a long time.
Conclusion
It is not surprising that stroke victims are frightened by the prospect of walking again after a stroke. Our brain is wired to be afraid of previous failures and stresses. That is why many patients after a stroke are scared of walking independently and prefer to do it with a caretaker or nurse.
Our nurses at All American Home Care are very cautious about their patients and are able to provide proper care for them. Besides helping with the walking exercises and basic support, they also instruct stroke victims and their caregivers on daily medical care. In order to preclude a second stroke, they are so thoroughly involved in their patients’ rehabilitation and routine that they often become their second family.
