Stroke Recovery Infographic

At Mangiarelli Rehabilitation, we understand that a stroke can be a life-altering event in your family and in your life. As physical therapists, we are here to accompany you and your loved one through your stroke recovery. We work to help you restore function of affected limbs, regain movement and strength, and improve balance and coordination.

Nearly 800,000 Americans experience a stroke each year, the majority of whom are over age 65. More women suffer strokes than men. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures or is blocked. This deprives the brain of oxygen, which not only negatively affects brain function but also affects the function of the body that area of the brain controls. The connection between the brain and muscles is damaged during a stroke, which leads to loss of mobility and movement.

Physical therapy plays a pivotal role in stroke recovery. Even when a stroke survivor may have little to no control over affected limbs or muscles early on, rehabilitation can help the survivor keep muscles toned and stimulated, maintain circulation, and prevent stiffness in the affected limbs.

Physical therapy helps survivors regain movement, improve range of motion and function of affected limbs, relearn daily tasks, and walk with coordination and balance. Physical therapy treatment can include exercise therapy, aquatic therapy, gait and balance training, positioning, early mobilization, and upper limb function training. Positioning an affected limb(s) with appropriate support during recovery helps to increase spatial awareness and reduce limb swelling. Early mobilizations involve gently engaging in mobility activities of daily life, like standing, walking, or sitting up out of bed, early in the recovery process.

Exercise therapy helps survivors rebuild physical strength and mobility and safely rehearse complex movements requiring coordination. Balance and gait training work to improve overall balance and walking ability by engaging in task-specific, walk-oriented leg exercises. Upper limb function training focuses on repetitive, task-specific activities to strengthen and regain function of the upper limbs. Aquatic therapy involves movement in a heated water therapy pool. Aquatic therapy can help a survivor work on walking and balance with greater ease as water decreases the weight-bearing stress on the joints.