New technology, rehab helps stroke survivors

Life after stroke probably won’t be the same, but rehabilitation programs and new technology can help survivors to regain skills.

Nearly 130,000 people die from strokes each year; the Centers for Disease Control report that there is one death related to stroke an average of every four minutes. Annually, nearly 800,000 U.S. residents have a stroke, and for the majority (about 610,000) it is the first stroke.

The goal of any stroke rehabilitation program is to give the survivor as much independence as possible, by helping them to re-learn what the stroke took away. Stroke rehabilitation programs are personalized, created with an individual’s stroke-related limitations and goals in mind.

Some programs focus on basic motor skills: Holding a fork or drinking from a cup. These programs include a variety of therapies; physical therapies focus on range of motion, motor skills, mobility, and forced-use activities meant to strengthen the muscles.

Technology is playing a big part in rehabilitation. To encourage upper extremity rehabilitation, patients often use a robotic device coupled with a video game that engages the mind, while encouraging hand and arm repetitions.

Another tech advance are devices such as Music Glove. This device improves brain-hand function. Patients wear a glove that plugs into a computer or tablet. Then they play a musical game that requires certain finger movements. In clinical trials, the device improved hand movement in two weeks.

The Mayo Clinic encourages survivors to begin rehabilitation activities as soon as they are medically stable, typically within 24-48 hours of the stroke event. The sooner these therapies start, the better chance the survivor has to recover skills and abilities, doctors say.
Depending on the severity of a stroke, rehabilitation treatment can be done in inpatient therapy.