Increased arm strength after stroke. After ischemic stroke, problems with the left arm. When the arm will recover and what exercises to do

Stroke is a disease characterized by impaired circulation of blood to the area of \u200b\u200bthe brain. The consequences of this disease can be various functional disorders of individual body systems, one of which is the problem with the movement of the upper limbs. This outcome of the disease does not at all mean that the former mobility is restored. In this case, it is important to timely resort to measures aimed at restoring the arm after a stroke. What are their features, we will consider in this article.

Recovery period duration

Many patients are interested in how to restore a hand after a stroke. The recovery process itself and its duration depend on certain characteristics, therefore the rehabilitation program is selected based on the individual characteristics of the patient with the help of highly qualified specialists.

The main factors affecting the duration of the recovery period include:

  • what type of disease is, and which side was affected by it;
  • the area and degree of damage to the brain tissue;
  • how timely the treatment was;
  • techniques and preparations used;
  • the presence of a conversation with a psychologist and its results.

If only a small part of the brain is affected, then the recovery time will be short. However, in the case of serious disorders, when the patient is paralyzed, the duration of recovery is not excluded up to several years. As a rule, at this time, he is exposed to simple hobbies aimed at restoring motor skills, for example, playing chess, weaving from beads, collecting puzzles or a constructor with the presence of small details. Sports are also considered important. Cycling, jumping without obstacles or Nordic walking are allowed.

In order for rehabilitation to give positive results from the patient and his relatives, a considerable amount of effort is required. Since the consequences can be very diverse, there are also many methods in this case, moreover, they are all designed for a certain kind of violation.

The patient receives initial recommendations while still in a medical institution from his attending physician. The specialist informs the patient about the activities and exercises that should be performed regularly after a stroke at home. All of these methods are aimed at:

  • restoration of the process of involuntary muscle contraction;
  • getting rid of paralysis;
  • elimination of atrophy;
  • bringing the blood circulation process back to normal.

In order to restore mobility to the upper limbs, it is important to ensure that their position is constantly changing. It is important to do individually tailored post-stroke arm stretching exercises. Do not forget that the room should have an optimal air temperature.

If the patient is assigned a massage, then the procedure should be carried out through stroking movements.

All exercises are divided into active and passive. The second type involves the presence of an assistant. If the patient is prescribed exercises to restore the arm after a stroke, then their implementation should be started with a healthy limb, that is, if the patient's right hand does not work, then it is necessary to start from the left. This will increase the activity and intensity of the brain. Complication should be carried out gradually, and all exercises for the hand should be performed in full and necessary volume. Thus, fine motor skills will be restored.

Initial recovery phase

Often, patients come to the hospital with complaints that the left hand does not work. What to do in such a situation? At the initial stage of the exercise, the patient will need help from the people around him. The assistant needs to bend and unbend the limb at the shoulder through smooth movements. After that, you can take the paralyzed hand to the sides. In this case, the patient must control the process of limb movement. This will allow you to carry out the movements yourself over time.

If there is no assistant, then there are certain ones that the patient can perform independently. He needs to imagine that he is able to carry out the movements himself. The recovery process of the upper limb is much more difficult than that of the lower limb, since it is not subjected to certain kinds of stress.

Many experts recommend starting the recovery period with massage, and gradually movements can be carried out at a fast pace. The duration of classes should not exceed half an hour. It is better to perform it in the morning and evening hours. If the patient has a feeling of limb sensitivity, you can safely switch to exercises to restore fine motor skills of the hands.

Recovery complex

Consider several exercises aimed at restoring individual parts of the upper limbs:

  1. Shoulder. The first exercise is flexion. This will require the use of a heavy object. The patient should keep the elbow straight and raise the limb up over the head and then lower it. It must be performed at least 10 times with one and the other hand. The second exercise is abduction. Straighten your arm with a weighting agent at shoulder level and gradually move it to the sides. The number of times is the same as in the previous exercise.
  2. Elbow. The patient needs to bend so that the elbows of the upper limbs are slightly behind. The arm in a straight position should rise, then bend and return to its original position. The exercise can be performed simultaneously on both hands or alternately.
  3. Brush. To perform, you need a dumbbell, which is taken in both hands. The elbow should be bent at an angle of 90 degrees. The palms need to be turned or raised in turn, without changing the position of the elbows.

Additional simpler exercises include moving the fingers to the sides in turn, clenching the hand into a fist and unclenching, connecting the hands into a lock. As tools, you can use a small ball that can be thrown from one hand to another, or twisting the planes of a Rubik's cube. As an adjunct to the patient, medications are prescribed, for example, nootropics, pain relievers, neuroprotective agents or stimulants.

Additional restorative methods include mud wraps, art therapy, reflexology and acupuncture.

During the recovery period, it is important for the patient to send impulses to the brain as often as possible. To do this, you can perform mental movements of the limb several times a day. In some situations, the use of traditional medicine methods is not excluded, but with the permission of the attending physician. It is possible to use royal jelly, rubbing in ointments based on pine needles or bay leaves, various medicinal fees and remedies. Which includes a Japanese sophora. If desired, the patient can visit special sanatoriums, the program of which is developed based on the individual characteristics of the patient's body.

Thus, following all the prescribed recommendations of the attending physician is especially important during the recovery period after a stroke. This will not only restore the former mobility of the upper limb, but also improve the general condition of the patient. How effective the rehabilitation period will be depends directly on the patient himself.

In contact with

Smirnova Olga Leonidovna

Neuropathologist, education: First Moscow State Medical University named after I.M. Sechenov. Work experience 20 years.

Articles written

Limb mobility disorders of varying degrees of intensity develop after a stroke. It bears great danger in this regard, it most often becomes the cause of deep and extensive paralysis, but even with the threat of paresis and paralysis is not excluded.

After the passage of an acute period, it plays an important role after a stroke, if she has suffered as a result of this disease. promises to be long, therefore both the patient and his family should prepare for serious trials and show patience. Only persistent adherence to all medical prescriptions can give a positive result and return the lost mobility to the hand.

Causes of hand mobility problems

In a stroke, the depth of the lesion depends on the type of lesion, its intensity and the importance of the affected area. there may be paresis, that is, limitation of the mobility and functioning of the limb, and paralysis - complete immobility.

There are two types of paralysis:

  1. Peripheral, in which only individual nerve endings are affected.
  2. Central, affecting the work of the entire nervous system.

Treatment is prescribed by a doctor, taking into account the level of damage and the patient's condition. If the patient is not paralyzed after a stroke, the chances of recovery are significantly increased.

It is believed that a stroke affects the half of the body that is mirrored to the affected hemisphere, that is, if the right hemisphere is damaged, the left and the leg are affected, and the left - the right.

It is very important to approach the treatment in a comprehensive manner, that is, to use drug therapy, special exercises and, as well as exercise therapy, spa treatment, therapeutic baths and mud.

Particularly much attention should be paid to the paralyzed arm - stroke patients often suffer from the hands, which is why they cannot perform elementary operations and take care of themselves. If this problem is not addressed, muscles and tendons will become numb and mobility may not return. The patient will remain disabled.

Effective rehabilitation methods

There are many ways to repair your arm after a stroke. They should always be used comprehensively and systematically, regularly, otherwise you will not get a stable and pronounced result.


The most important exercises for restoring mobility are arm exercises. Initially, a specialist deals with them with the patient, then you can continue on your own. Exercises are supplemented by classes on special simulators that will help restore muscle elasticity, sensitivity of nerve endings and arm strength.

The list of funds that are used for rehabilitation includes the following:

  1. Gymnastics: general for the whole body, feasible, without overwork that is dangerous for the patient, and local - for the affected limb.
  2. Performing simple exercises to help you restore your usual functions: writing texts with a pen, drawing, modeling from plasticine and clay, sewing, and many other processes.
  3. Reflexology.
  4. Acupuncture.
  5. Massages.
  6. Healing baths.
  7. Mud applications and wraps.
  8. Swimming. This is a very good way of rehabilitation, in which all muscles are loaded evenly and train perfectly without overload.
  9. Medication therapy. Without it, treatment and rehabilitation will not be complete.

The medical staff will advise what to do if your right hand does not work. It is usually recommended to start with the healthy limb, visualizing the synchronized actions with the injured hand. This helps to "turn on" the necessary elements in the brain and make them obey the will of the person. The transmission of impulses will become better, which will trigger a kind of "chain reaction". In rehabilitation after a stroke, any methods cannot be neglected.

Exercises

In the rehabilitation process, hand exercises after a stroke play a leading role. It is recommended to start by kneading individual areas - fingers, hands, gradually moving to more voluminous areas and the entire limb as a whole. This action is equivalent to a warm-up in gymnastics, when the athlete warms up the muscles before exertion. It enhances blood circulation, nourishes the affected areas of the body, which helps to increase their sensitivity and mobility.

In the treatment of paresis and paralysis, fairly simple exercises are used to restore:

  1. Rub each finger for at least 15 seconds.
  2. Putting your hands, palms down, on a plane, for example, on a table, lift each finger in turn, without lifting the rest from the surface. Repeat at least 10 times. Turn your hands, palms up, and do the same at least 10 times for each finger. In this exercise, it is not the speed of execution that is important, but its purity and amplitude. If you can't take some fingers off the table, you need to pay maximum attention to them.
  3. Rotate your fingers in turn, placing your hands palms down. Then turn them over with palms up and repeat the same thing again. You need to try to do this as energetically and slowly as possible.
  4. Spread your fingers apart with a fan, then clench them tightly into a fist. Repeat in series of five sets.
  5. Put your hands in a lock, and then in turn raise your fingers, first on one hand, then on the other. Repeat at least 10 times, starting with the little finger.
  6. Try to snap your fingers. Repeat 10 times for each hand.
  7. Roll two small balls, ping-pong balls, Chinese stone balls or any other spherical object in a sore hand.
  8. Roll a ball or cylindrical object on the flat surface of the table, trying to strongly bend your fingers upward, spreading them out and squeezing them tightly.
  9. Spreading the bent fingers as much as possible, try to collect them in "bird's feet" with tension, and then vigorously straighten them, trying to stretch the ligaments as much as possible.
  10. After completing gymnastics for hands, you need to relieve tension from them by completely relaxing them and shaking them with your hands.

In order for the procedures to bring a pronounced effect, you need to repeat them often and persistently, without making long gaps.

An excellent way of rehabilitation for fine motor disorders is mudras, special asanas for fingers in yoga. Their focused implementation will help to quickly restore not only physical disorders, but also improve thought processes.

Simulators

For the recovery process of fine motor skills of hands after a stroke, you can use special simulators, for example, a hand expander. But it is quite possible to do with improvised means. These include a regular elastic band, a tennis ball, or a rubber ball that is quite tight. A favorite pastime of many children helps a lot - "chewing gum for hands", a piece of plasticine, best of all sculptured, it is denser and less sticky.

Diligently kneading a real or impromptu simulator in his hands, the patient stimulates the recovery processes in the diseased limbs. This has to be done with considerable effort, so the weakened muscles gradually strengthen, the sensitivity of the nerve endings improves, and blood circulation increases.

The number of simple and affordable ways to enhance fine motor skills include various actions that require precise movements. This is a game of checkers, chess, backgammon, collecting puzzles, using Rubik's cube and other puzzles. They not only develop mechanical mobility, but also train associative actions, reactions, sensitivity. All this greatly helps in such a complex and lengthy process of arm recovery after a stroke.

Folk ways

Traditional medicine suggests using such means of recovering from a stroke at home: massages with special agents and oils, as well as ingestion of natural preparations. But before using folk methods, it is imperative to consult with your doctor and get "good" from him.

For massages, it is recommended to use vegetable oils enriched with extracts from medicinal plants, melted pork fat, melted lard ointment with pine needles and bay leaves. Such formulations are carefully rubbed into the sore arm and massage is done to enhance blood circulation.

A tincture of mountain arnica flowers, natural honey with royal jelly, a composition of peppermint, St. John's wort and motherwort, as well as a tincture on Japanese sophora, help well.

Forecast

Often it takes a very long time to restore mobility - on average from six months to a year, but this does not guarantee a complete recovery, especially in the presence of repeated attacks and non-compliance with the regime. However, gymnastics after a stroke helps to cope with paresis and paralysis and restore the lost functions of the limbs, especially if the lesions are minor, and the patient is young enough. Elderly patients recover more slowly due to the deterioration of their body, but their fine motor skills can be restored with the help of constant persistent exercise.

Two things are important in treating the effects of a stroke - responsiveness and persistence. A person can do a lot, including recovering from the most serious illness.

Stroke is a serious illness that is caused by impaired cerebral circulation. Often, after a stroke, paralysis of the right or left side of the body occurs, depending on the damage to the right or left hemisphere of the brain. After a stroke, the patient needs rehabilitation - restorative gymnastics, massage, the help of a psychologist, and support from relatives.

How to restore a hand after a stroke

A positive attitude and support from relatives have an impact on quick recovery from illness. Partial paralysis of the hand is a common occurrence after a stroke, characterized by stiffness of movement, limited motor ability of the hand. Functional paresis (partial paralysis) refers to neurological syndromes, caused by disruption of the nervous system, damage to the pathway of the nervous system due to damage to the cerebral cortex after a stroke. Hand paralysis is the complete absence of voluntary limb movements. Such conditions require the help of rehabilitation specialists. In the clinic of neurology and rehabilitation of the Yusupov hospital, patients are treated after a stroke. The hospital's specialists are a team of neurologists, psychotherapists, massage therapists, and therapeutic gymnastics specialists. Individual sessions with the patient are carried out taking into account the severity of his condition.

Recovery from a stroke may require a hand or the entire limb. With partial paralysis, the ability to move freely with a hand or hand is impaired, a person cannot fully take care of himself, perform elementary actions. To restore motor ability, the patient must perform daily exercises for finger motility and limb motility. Specialists of the rehabilitation department of the Yusupov hospital use special simulators that help restore brain functions, sensitivity and motor activity of the limbs. The rehabilitation process after a stroke is not quick, it requires patience. Exercises to restore motor activity of the arm will need to be performed at home, after discharge from the hospital.

Rebuilding a hand after a stroke at home

The psychological attitude of the patient is important for full rehabilitation. The psychotherapist of the Yusupov hospital's rehabilitation center will help restore psychological balance. Recovery of sensitivity and motor activity begins with the prevention of muscle spasticity. The arm muscles shorten after a stroke, lose their elasticity due to prolonged inactivity. Classes begin with passive gymnastics for the joints of the limb, which should be performed in a position comfortable for the patient. When the patient can make the first hand movements, the joints will already be ready for the motor load. Recovering a hand after a stroke at home will be faster if close people help the patient.

Classes begin with the formation of a message from the brain to the limbs - the patient must mentally imagine the movement of the limb. Regardless of whether one or both limbs are affected after a stroke, the exercise should be performed with both limbs. Such exercises activate the areas of the brain that are responsible for the work of the pathways. Mindfulness of hand movements is an exercise that you can do an unlimited number of times throughout the day.

Performing gymnastics with the help of various objects - a ball, rolling pin, small objects that improve the motor skills of the fingers of the hand, can speed up the recovery of brain functions. Exercise with a stick - bending, extending the arms, allows you to regain lost skills. When performing gymnastics, in most cases, the help of relatives is required - they can give commands to perform movements, help to perform movements at first, bend and unbend a limb, and do massage. Gymnastics often causes pain, irritation in the patient. Despite the pain, the load should gradually increase, the exercises should be varied. Over time, the patient must perform gymnastics without assistance, fully bear the entire load when moving.

Rehabilitation at the Yusupov hospital

In the rehabilitation clinic of the Yusupov hospital, the patient will be provided with all the necessary assistance. The psychologists of the hospital do not only work with patients - assistance is also provided to the family members of the patient. The rehabilitation process to restore the motor activity of the limbs requires patience from the patient, a lot of work - this will allow him to return to a full life after a stroke. You can make an appointment with a neurologist by phone. The physician-rehabilitator will develop individual exercises for the patient, the patient will be under constant supervision of doctors, receive qualified assistance from specialists.

List of references

  • ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases)
  • Yusupov hospital
  • Badalyan L.O. Neuropathology. - M .: Education, 1982 .-- S.307-308.
  • Bogolyubov, Medical rehabilitation (guide, in 3 volumes). // Moscow - Perm. - 1998.
  • Popov S.N. Physical rehabilitation. 2005 .-- S. 608.

Prices for hand restoration after a stroke

* The information on the site is for informational purposes only. All materials and prices posted on the site are not a public offer determined by the provisions of Art. 437 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. For accurate information, contact the clinic staff or visit our clinic. The list of provided paid services is indicated in the price list of the Yusupov hospital.

The consequences of a stroke are different in each case. These can be speech, memory or upper limb disorders. An experienced specialist will tell you how to restore your arm after a stroke. In such cases, not only medications are used, but also special exercises, simulators, which you should be aware of.

Why is mobility and sensitivity impaired?

Damage to the hand after a stroke occurs against the background of an inflammatory process in the left hemisphere of the brain. It is this part that is responsible for motor processes.

Disorders are considered to be partial or complete lack of motor activity, muscle weakness, tremors, or insufficient response to certain environmental stimuli.

There are two types of paralysis that occurs after an ischemic stroke or cerebral hemorrhage:

  1. Peripheral. Disorders involve individual nerves.
  2. Central. Pathological processes affect the work of the entire nervous system.

After a stroke, which is due to thrombosis or swelling of the limbs, paralysis of the arm may occur. This is a serious consequence. The patient has a chance to recover if he undergoes a full course of drug treatment and rehabilitation, as well as performs the necessary gymnastics.

The hand may become numb. When pain receptors do not respond to stimuli, physical activity and reflexes are below normal. Such consequences arise against the background of damage to the left hemisphere of the brain, cerebellum or frontal lobe.

This is because nerve cells and peripheral nerves suffered after a stroke..

Violations disappear after 2 months if the victim carries out treatment, attends massage, acupuncture and reflexotherapy sessions.

Effective recovery methods

You can restore your right or left arm after a stroke at home. But before that, you should undergo a full diagnosis and course of treatment. You need to do special gymnastics every day, exercise on simulators, visit the pool.

In addition, electrical impulses and acupuncture are used to restore hand function.

Gymnastics

It is necessary to perform exercises to develop fine motor skills of the hands, return them to sensitivity, increase muscle tone and strength. For example, lifting dumbbells, sculpting, swimming.

To develop motor skills, you should write with a pen more often. If after a stroke there is partial paralysis of the hands, doctors recommend doing morning exercises, doing race walking.

Exercises are done every day in the morning and in the evening, it is enough to devote 15 minutes to this. In the first month after a stroke, you cannot load the body, otherwise there is a risk of a second attack.

Classes will help prevent the formation of blood clots, bedsores, ulcers on the arm, followed by paresis, tissue death, and blood poisoning.

Taking medications

To restore a paralyzed arm after a stroke, doctors prescribe to their patients:

  • nootropic drugs;
  • pain medications;
  • neuroprotective agents;
  • stimulants.

Additionally, the patient takes drugs that purify the blood, as well as vitamins, antibiotics and antidepressants. To calculate the dose of the medicine and the duration of the course, the attending physician takes into account the individual characteristics of the victim's body.

In the first time after the attack, the patient is shown injections and droppers. It should take a couple of months before he takes oral medication.

Other recovery methods

Modern medical centers offer a variety of treatments to restore arm movement after a stroke:

  • mud wraps;
  • art therapy;
  • reflexology;
  • acupuncture.

Such methods are very popular. During the acupuncture procedure, thin punctures are made on the body.

The electrical impulses arising in them affect the nerves, muscles, which are responsible for the work and mobility of the upper limbs.

Hand restoration exercises

A set of exercises:

  1. Rub and knead each finger for 15 seconds.
  2. Sit down, put your palms on your hips, fingers apart as much as possible. Raise each of them up, starting with the little finger and ending with the big one. Then turn your hands with palms up and do the same. Repeat the exercise at least 10 times. The worse it turns out, the more time you need to devote to such exercises.
  3. Sit down, put your palms on your hips, closer to your knees. Rotate your fingers one by one. Turn the palms over and continue gymnastics with your fingers. This exercise trains fine motor skills, and this has a positive effect on the brain. Should be done 7 times.
  4. Spread all fingers as far as possible, then clench them into a fist. Repeat such exercises for arm recovery 5 times.
  5. In a sitting or lying position, work your toes. First, pull them towards you, spread them out, then tilt them in the opposite direction, squeeze. The exercise is repeated 10 times.
  6. Clasp your hands with a lock and raise your fingers in turn. For example, large on the right hand, then on the left. Having finished on the little fingers, the exercise is continued in reverse order 10 times.
  7. Flick your fingers in turn, starting with your thumb and forefinger. The exercise is repeated 5 times.

Doctors recommend using special accessories to warm up your fingers. There are massage balls that resemble a hedgehog. They can be thrown from the right hand to the left, massage the hands and fingers. Every day, a stroke victim should practice with this ball for at least 3 minutes.

The recovery of the right hand is positively influenced by the exercise with two balls that can be rolled in the palm of your hand.

Finger and Hand Recovery Trainers

In addition to gymnastics and special exercises, doctors recommend other methods to work out the upper limbs after a stroke.

  1. The Rubik's Cube is good for flexing your fingers. During its use, a person trains the bends of the entire hand, stretches the phalanges, and strengthens the muscles. To some extent, such a simulator helps to develop the micromotor of the fingers. When turning the planes of the cube, different muscles on the arms are trained. The patient needs to use all fingers, clasping him, thus, more efforts will be needed.
  2. It is recommended to sculpt figures from plasticine or assemble a children's construction set. This has a positive effect on the recovery process.
  3. Doctors recommend to devote more time to checkers and chess. Games that help train not only the fingers, but also the hand itself. In addition, they are good at helping to develop memory and thinking.

During recovery, the hardest thing for the patient is to practice small movements. For development, you can use various simulators to scroll them with your fingers. You can scatter matches and buttons on the table every day in order to collect them later.

Traditional medicine

To restore the left arm after a stroke, you can use unconventional methods. But before resorting to such recipes, you should consult your doctor.

Among folk remedies, the following are highly popular:

  • honey with royal jelly;
  • ointment, which includes pine needles and bay leaves (the product should be rubbed into the hand that has suffered after a stroke).
  • a tincture made from mountain arnica flowers;
  • japanese Sophora medicine;
  • herbal preparations, which include motherwort, mint and St. John's wort.

During recovery, it must be remembered that all methods of treatment, among which are folk remedies, as well as rehabilitation measures should be aimed at restoring blood circulation in the hand. This is facilitated by a good massage, which will speed up recovery.

You can look for other methods of recovery, but it should be understood that everything should be controlled by the attending physician. He takes into account all the individual characteristics of the patient and, guided by them, makes a decision. Only in this way will the restoration of the hand after a stroke be effective.

Recovery forecast

Most often, older people experience a stroke. They have a complication in the form of hand paralysis. In most cases, complete recovery occurs. But this is provided that the patient observes the recommendations of the attending physician, the rules of rehabilitation.

It takes 6 months to recover a hand after a stroke, sometimes 1 year... But after a second attack, it is not always possible to cure complications such as paralysis, numbness, or loss of sensation. Therefore, many patients remain disabled.

To prevent all these complications, it is necessary to seek medical help in a timely manner. He will make an accurate diagnosis, prescribe treatment, especially if the disorders develop at the initial stage.

Leads to a stroke, a sedentary lifestyle, excessive exercise. A person feels weak activity of the arm, hand, leg and fine motor skills of the fingers.

Why this happens: Due to a lack of physical movement, the blood circulates worse, preventing the brain from receiving the necessary energy. In the second case, there is a large release of adrenaline into the blood, which accelerates the work of the heart, enhances, and then disrupts the blood circulation in the brain.

Recovery complex of exercises for hands


It will take a long time to recover the original movements. Due to illness, a person may not feel his paralyzed body parts, and sometimes deny the presence of movement disorders, which can be encountered with low mental activity.

When doing exercises, you must:

  • Before starting the workout, you need to stretch the fingers of the paralyzed hand for about 15-20 seconds.
  • Place the affected hand on the patient's chest, and one by one ask him to lift each finger. First, the exercise must be performed with the palm down, and only then with the arm extended.
  • In exactly the same positions as in previous activities, turn your fingers clockwise and counterclockwise. It is difficult to perform such gymnastics on your own, so a person who has suffered a stroke needs help.


  • After a stroke, squeeze the patient's hand into a fist and then fully straighten the palm and spread the fingers.
  • Close the left and right hands in the lock. In this position, the hands alternately raise and lower fingers.
  • Alternating clicks of the fingers of the paralyzed limb.
  • Use a bumpy massage ball to warm up your fine motor skills.

To start moving the phalanges better, develop them with the help of a children's toy Rubik's cube. So the victim will quickly learn how to properly control the gripping force.

The initial period of rehabilitation


To make it easier for the patient to restore the movement of the joints of the hand, he needs support. Warm-up at first should be aimed at restoring large extensor and flexor muscles, and then knead the fine motor skills of the hands with the help of ergotherapy.

It is important in the exercises that joints are involved, starting from the lightest, with a gradual transition to more complex exercises. If the exercises are difficult, offer to close your eyes and mentally imagine that the paralyzed hand and forearm work like a healthy limb.


If the development of fine motor skills is slow, praise the patient even for very little progress during recovery.

It is not worth doing all the difficult exercises for the patient, let him also try to help himself with his healthy hand, at least to make it easier. It is worth considering that after a stroke, the restoration of arm movements always lasts longer, a paralyzed leg will be much easier to rehabilitate.


If in a hospital rehabilitation after a stroke takes place under the supervision of experienced specialists, then at discharge, the patient is monitored by loved ones. It will only depend on them whether the victim will be able to stand on his paralyzed leg on his own or make movements with a brush or hand.

Rehabilitation is also important for the return of normal speech, memory and thinking. Blood pressure and cholesterol play an important role in recovery.

The main problem will come from the presence of spasticity in the arm and leg, which can be solved with exercises aimed at the following:

  • Decreased spasticity.
  • Reducing the feeling of paralysis.
  • Increased mobility of the arms and legs in the joints after a stroke.
  • Improved tissue nutrition.


It is the spasticity that appears that interferes with any motor activity. This happens as a result of prolonged immobility after a stroke.

To normalize the tone and reduce spasticity during recovery, the attending physician may advise the victim's relatives the following:

  • Constantly change the position of the injured arm and leg.
  • Place a soft ottoman under the leg from the side of the spasticity at the level of the joint.
  • At first, it is better to practice under the control of others.
  • Before starting the exercises, do a warm-up aimed at stretching the paralyzed muscles.
  • Monitor the room temperature with extreme care. Coldness can trigger an increased feeling of spasticity.
  • Warm up your hands during the massage, then proceed to the procedure. The movements of the masseur's hands should be soft with low intensity.

Rehabilitation speed


Each patient, in order to restore the basic movements after a stroke, needs to be engaged in an individual program.

How long it takes will depend on the following factors:

  • During what stroke and side paralyzed leg or arm.
  • How badly the brain tissue was damaged.
  • The patient himself or with someone's help received medical treatment and how soon it happened.
  • What methods and medicines were used during the rehabilitation period of the victim.
  • Whether the patient took part in the conversation with the psychologist. How productive were the classes with the speech therapist and relatives. Whether it contributed to the improvement of the emotional state.

If the brain is not severely damaged, recovery may take 7 to 20 days. Under the worst circumstances, from six months to several years. One week or 2-3 months is enough for the development of speech abilities. To restore the movements of fine motor skills of the fingers, the hands must be practiced for at least 4 weeks. From one month to learn to lean on a paralyzed leg.


When the main rehabilitation process is over, but the patient does not perform some movements after a stroke quite correctly, then you can help if you involve him in simple home hobbies. For example, to interest you in beading, playing chess, checkers or cross-stitching.

If you have a computer at home, let it practice on the keyboard while typing. But especially important for the restoration of fine motor skills will be children's games such as a construction set with details: mosaics, pyramids or puzzles.


Try asking the victim to lift small items off the floor. A positive effect can be achieved if you ask to collect scattered small buttons, beads or small coins from the table.

Do not limit the victim to sports, only while monitoring the intensity of the exercises performed. Crafts from colored paper or figurines will have a positive effect on restoring the mobility of the small joints of the hand. Useful sports for stroke patients are Scandinavian walking, light morning jogging without obstacles, cycling.