Post Stroke Balance Rehabilitation

After stroke, patients often have abnormal balance function due to poor physical strength, poor motion control ability, lack of effective foresight, and lack of progressive and reactive postural adjustments. Therefore, balance rehabilitation can be the most important part of patients' recovery.

Balance includes the regulation of movement of the connected segments and the supporting surface acting on the supporting joints. On different supporting surfaces, the ability to balance the body enables the body to complete daily activities effectively.

Balance Rehabilitation after Stroke

After a stroke, most patients will have balance dysfunction, which seriously affects their quality of life. The core muscle group is the center of the functional motor chain and is the basis of all limb movements. Comprehensive strength training and core muscle group strengthening are effective ways to protect and restore balance of spine and muscle groups and facilitate completion of exercise. At the same time, training of the core muscle group helps to improve the body's ability to control in unstable situations, thereby improving balance function.

Clinical research found that patients’ balance function can be improved by strengthening their core stability through the effective training on patients’ trunk and core muscle groups. Training can greatly improve the stability, coordination, and balance function of patients by strengthening the effect of gravity in training, applying biomechanical principles, and performing closed-chain exercise training.

What Does Post Stroke Balance Rehabilitation Include?

Sitting Balance

1, Touch the object in front (flexed hip), lateral (bilateral), and posterior directions with the dysfunction arm, and then return to neutral position.

Attention

a. The reach distance should be longer than the arms, the movement should include the whole-body movement and should reach the limit as close as possible.

b. Since lower extremity muscle activity is important for sitting balance, it’s important to apply load to the lower limb of the dysfunction side when reaching with the dysfunction arm.

2, Turn the head and trunk, look backward over your shoulder, return to neutral, and repeat on the other side.

Attention

a. Make sure the patient rotates his/her trunk and head, with his/her trunk upright and hips flexed.

b. Provide a visual target, increase the distance of turning.

c. If necessary, fix the foot on the dysfunction side and avoid excessive hip rotation and abduction.

d. Make that the hands are not used for support and that the feet do not move.

3, Look up at the ceiling and return to upright position.

Attention

The patient may lose his balance and fall backward, so it’s important to remind him/her to keep his/her upper body in front of the hip.

Standing Balance

1, Stand with both feet apart for several centimeters and look up at the ceiling, then return to the upright position.

Attention

Before looking upward, correct the backward trend by reminding the hip to move forward (hip extension beyond neutral) with feet fixed.

2, Stand with both feet apart for several centimeters, turn the head and the trunk to look back, return to neutral position, and repeat on the opposite side.

Attention

a. Make sure to maintain the standing alignment and the hips are in the extended position when the body rotates.

b. Foot movement is not allowed, and when necessary, fix patient's feet to stop movement.

c. Provide visual targets.

Fetch in Standing Position

Stand and fetch objects in front, lateral (both sides), and backward directions with one or both hands. The change of objects and tasks should exceed arm length, encouraging patients to reach their limits before returning.

Attention

Determine that movement of the body occurs at the ankles and hips, not just on the trunk.

One-leg Support

Practice fetching with either side of limbs stepping forward.

Attention

a. Make sure hip extension on the standing side, and suspension bandages are available at the early stage of training.

b. Step forward on steps of different heights with the healthy lower limb can significantly increase the weight load of the dysfunction limb.