Fine Motor Exercises for Hands for Stroke Survivors: Techniques and Benefits
Hand impairments following a stroke can impact activities of daily living, especially activities that involve reaching, grasping, and...
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Stroke Information and Recovery Blog
Your resource for understanding strokes and stroke recovery.
Confabulation After Stroke
What Is Confabulation After A Stroke? Confabulation is a cognitive phenomenon observed in some stroke survivors and individuals with...
Kimberli Murphy, OTD, OTR/L
- Jul 20
Amygdala Damage After Stroke
Stroke survivors should be aware of amygdala damage because it can have significant implications for their emotional well-being, social...
Kelly Carr
- Jun 20
When Helping is Not Helping: Finding a Balance for Effective Rehabilitation as a Caregiver
When a loved one or friend has a stroke, it can be imperative for their recovery to provide support in the form of assistance from tasks...
Kimberli Murphy, OTD, OTR/L
- Jun 16
Understanding Post-Stroke Nausea and Vomiting: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
ausea and vomiting can not only occur during a stroke, but it is also common in the aftermath of a stroke. Some strokes damage certain...
Kimberli Murphy, OTD, OTR/L
- Jun 13
Flaccidity After Stroke: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options
Flaccidity, also known as flaccid paralysis, refers to a complete lack of voluntary movement in a limb. After a stroke occurs, there is...
Kelly Carr
- Jun 7
A Comparison of Orthoses, Prosthetics, and Therapeutic Devices for Stroke Survivors
Cerebral vascular accidents, or strokes, often affect the strength of one side of the body, therefore impacting a survivor's ability to...
Kimberli Murphy, OTD, OTR/L
- May 31
What is the Cerebrum?
What is the Cerebrum? In Latin, the word for “brain” is “cerebrum.” Cerebrum is the largest and most predominant part of the human brain,...
Kimberli Murphy, OTD, OTR/L
- May 22
Can Stress Cause Stroke?
What is Stress? Stress can harm us physically, emotionally, and mentally. Stress is defined as “a state of worry or mental tension caused...
Emily Morgan
- May 16
How AFib Can Lead to Stroke and What You Can Do to Reduce Your Risk
If you have been recently diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib or AF) or have been managing it for years, you may have questions or...
Kimberli Murphy, OTD, OTR/L
- May 11
Hemiplegia vs Hemiparesis
What Is Hemiplegia and Hemiparesis? Many individuals confuse these two medical terms because they are very similar and both can occur in...
Hemiparesis After Stroke
Hemiparesis is a common after-effect of a stroke that causes weakness on one side of your body. This condition affects about 8 out of 10...
Shoulder Subluxation in Hemiplegic Patients
Understanding Shoulder Subluxation and Its Causes Shoulder subluxation is a significant issue in poststroke hemiplegia. It often results...
Kimberli Murphy, OTD, OTR/L
- Apr 27
Hemiplegia and Strokes
In the event of a stroke, you may experience severe or complete loss of motor function on one side of the body, known as hemiplegia (1)...
Kimberli Murphy, OTD, OTR/L
- Apr 11
Neuroplasticity in Stroke Recovery
What is Neuroplasticity? Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity or brain plasticity, refers to the brain’s ability to adapt or...
Understanding Post-Stroke Fatigue
Following a stroke, individuals may experience post-stroke fatigue. Post-stroke fatigue is defined as an overwhelming sense of tiredness,...
Kelly Carr
- Apr 4
How Upper Extremity Orthotics Can Help Stroke Survivors Regain Mobility
Orthotics are commonly used in stroke rehabilitation to increase arm stability, prevention of joint deformities and contractures,...
Kelly Carr
- Mar 14
How Leg and Foot Orthotics Can Help Stroke Survivors Regain Mobility
Orthotics are commonly used in stroke rehabilitation to increase safety, stability, and independence following a stroke and other...
Kelly Carr
- Mar 7
Balance & Coordination Training After Stroke
Is Practicing Balance & Coordination After a Stroke Important? Following a stroke, many individuals experience impairments in balance and...
Emily Morgan
- Feb 28
A Comprehensive Guide to Cardiovascular Diseases and Their Risk Factors
An Overview of the Cardiovascular System: Our cardiovascular system consists of the heart, blood, and blood vessels (i.e. arteries,...
Kelly Carr
- Feb 21
Understanding the Difference Between Stroke and Heart Attack: What You Need to Know
What is the Difference Between a Stroke and a Heart Attack? By definition, a stroke, otherwise known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA)...
Kelly Carr
- Feb 14
Understanding the Link Between Heart Health & Stroke: What You Need to Know
How to Reduce Your Risk of Stroke Through Healthy Heart Habits Heart disease is one of the leading causes of strokes, especially in the...
Emily Morgan
- Feb 7
Fitness Trackers and How They Can Help You Monitor Your Heart Health During Stroke Recovery
Stroke recovery is a difficult journey, but the incorporation of fitness trackers in the rehabilitation care plan program may improve...
Emily Morgan
- Jan 31
Post-Stroke Nutrition and How It Improves Stroke Recovery
There are many benefits to eating healthy. A well-balanced diet plan provides proper fuel and energy to keep you active, manages your...
Lauren Souders
- Jan 24
Manage Blood Pressure Monitoring After A Stroke
Why is it Important to Monitor Blood Pressure after a Stroke? It is important to monitor blood pressure after a stroke because high blood...
Kelly Carr
- Jan 16
Resources for Stroke Survivors
At the start of the new year, you may find yourself wanting to make new goals or have new changes to your daily routine. However,...
Emily Morgan
- Jan 10
Aerobic Exercises After Stroke
Strokes are one prevalent example of a medical condition that contributes to disability, a decline in fitness and reduced mobility,...
Kelly Carr
- Dec 19, 2022
The Link Between Smoking and Strokes
Can smoking cause a stroke? It is well-known in the medical community that cigarette smoking is a risk factor for strokes. However, most...
Emily Morgan
- Dec 14, 2022
The Importance of BDNF and Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation
While the full name is quite a mouthful to pronounce, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor is a key molecule that all survivors of a stroke...
Kelly Carr
- Dec 6, 2022
Overcoming Stroke at a Young Age
It is estimated that 5-20% of all strokes occur in young people. When speaking of “young” stroke survivors, most literature refers to...
Emily Morgan
- Dec 1, 2022
5 Powerful Brain Stimulation Exercises for Stroke Rehabilitation
Stroke survivors, their loved ones, and rehabilitation specialists worldwide have been on a mission to find and engage in interventions...
Kelly Carr
- Nov 28, 2022
Safety and Stress Management for the Holiday Season
This time of year can be very stressful for many, especially for stroke survivors and caregivers. Not only are there many extra events...
Kelly Carr
- Nov 17, 2022
How Blocked Arteries Lead to Strokes
Blocked arteries are one of the most common causes of strokes and can lead to an ischemic stroke. Blocked arteries can occur for many...
Emily Morgan
- Nov 9, 2022
Vision Changes After Stroke: What You Should Know And Why It Matters
Last Updated: May 2023 What is a Vision Problem? Vision is used for everything. Vision is considered a dynamic, learned process, and it...
Kelly Carr
- Nov 7, 2022
A Guide to Post-Stroke Mood Disorders
Following a stroke, some survivors may notice a change in mood or ability to manage emotions. This is a common side effect of stroke and...
Kelly Carr
- Nov 3, 2022
Arm Swelling and Pain Post Stroke
Up to an estimated, between 65-88% of all individuals who experience a stroke have some level of arm impairment or dysfunction. Two...
Emily Morgan
- Nov 2, 2022
Driving After a Stroke: How to Safely Get Back on the Road
Driving and community mobility may be one of the most vital occupations because of the influence it has on health and well-being. (1)...
Emily Morgan
- Oct 28, 2022
World Stroke Day — October 29
What is World Stroke Day? World Stroke Day is a special day devoted to raising awareness and driving action about stroke throughout the...
Emily Morgan
- Oct 25, 2022
The Most Common Types of Tremors After Stroke What They Mean
Introduction: What are Tremors? Tremors are one type of movement disorder and can occur when something in the brain and supportive...
Kelly Carr
- Oct 24, 2022
Guide to Cerebellum Stroke — Cauѕes, After Effects, and Recoveгy
Introduction: What is a Cerebellum Stroke? When a cerebellar artery occlusion occurs, this result is a stroke in the area of the...
Emily Morgan
- Oct 19, 2022
The Ultimate Guide To Pontine Stroke Recovery: What You Need To Know
Introduction to Pontine Strokes If you or a loved one have had a pontine stroke or if you are a healthcare professional that is working...
Kelly Carr
- Oct 17, 2022
The Complete Guide to Decorticate and Decerebrate Posturing, After Stroke
For all of us, normal posture is an automatic movement that develops a child and involves trunk control, head control, mobility, the...
Emily Morgan
- Oct 13, 2022
8 Reasons To See A Physical Therapist If You Had A Stroke
The service and profession of physical therapy (PT), also called physiotherapy, seeks to build a community that improves the health of...
Emily Morgan
- Oct 12, 2022
How Brain-Computer Interface Treatment for Strokes is Helping Patients Recover Faster
Stroke Rehabilitation will be Shaped by the Development of Brain-Computer Interfaces Capturing both human and animal "thought" and using...
Kelly Carr
- Oct 11, 2022
A Clinician's Perspective on the IpsiHand
As an occupational therapist who has worked over a decade of experience in neuro-rehabilitation services across all continuums of care, I...
Kelly Carr
- Sep 29, 2022
Shoulder Subluxations (aka Slipped Shoulders) After Stroke
Introduction: What Is A Subluxation? Following the onset of a stroke, it is common that the hemiparetic arm may experience something...
Kelly Carr
- Sep 26, 2022
Common Questions Surrounding Intimacy and Sexuality Following A Stroke:
Education on sexuality and return to intimacy following a stroke is an important functional topic that is sometimes not addressed by the...
Emily Morgan
- Sep 13, 2022
The 7-Steps to Recuperation from Stroke Arm Paralysis
About two-thirds of those that experience arm paralysis after stroke are unable to fully use their affected limb six months after stroke...
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