Stroke Stroke Rehabilitation

Rehab Improves Self-Care in Stroke Victims

(HealthCentersOnline) - A person who suffers from a stroke is better able to provide self-care by participating in occupational therapy, according to a recent study.

A stroke is a potentially fatal event in which oxygen-rich blood flow to the brain is restricted, often because of an obstructing blood clot. This loss of blood flow causes tissue death or damage in the brain, often resulting in permanent loss of certain abilities. Following a stroke, many people find it difficult to adequately take care of themselves.

To better manage self-care, some stroke patients participate in occupational therapy. This type of physical rehabilitation aims to teach patients the best way to care for themselves and relearn lost basic skills such as feeding, dressing, bathing and moving around.

Researchers from the Glasgow Royal Infirmary in Scotland have found that those patients who participated in rehabilitation therapy following a stroke appeared to better maintain the ability to provide self-care.

For the study, the researchers evaluated data from 10 randomized controlled trials that included 1,348 participants. The trials were held in the United Kingdom, Canada and Hong Kong.

The researchers found that for every 1,000 patients who participated in occupational therapy, 97 were able to avoid death, dependent care or deteriorating health. This number was substantially higher than for those patients who received no occupational therapy.

"It's like learning to play the piano. If you want to improve on a particular piece of music, you must practice; if you want to improve with a particular daily activity, you must practice that activity," explained Lynn Legg, lead author of the study, in a press release.

"The most important finding is that occupational therapy actually works," Legg continued. "Very few interventions have had such an impact."

The results of the report were published in the most recent issue of The Cochrane Library.

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